Preoccupied: Me-occupied, or He-occupied

One’s occupation, or vocation, is that to which he or she is especially drawn and for which he or she is well-suited and qualified. Though today the concept is secular, it originated in the Bible. The nobility of one’s occupation is central to the doctrine that God has created each person with gifts to be employed for specific purposes that will fulfill God' purposes for him and Himself (Eph 2:10).

For this reason, Paul warns, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift(s) within you; take pains to be absorbed in them so that your progress will be evident to all, paying close attention to yourself; persevere in these things” (1 Tim 4:14-16, edited). In other words, we are to be resolutely “preoccupied” with our “occupation.”

What then keeps us from being so occupied? Is it perhaps that we are already preoccupied: “me-occupied.” This principle has been proven to me over and again: to the degree I am absorbed in my view of circumstances, I simply cannot occupy myself with His, and even worse, with HIM. Evidently, judging by the strength of his words, Paul must have known how challenging this would be. I wonder. Did he also find himself sometimes more “me-occupied” than “He-occupied”?