Hi, my name is Marcus Mok. I live in Singapore and write about personal growth, vocational discernment (the process of identifying your calling in life), and the intersection of faith and work (how our beliefs impact our work). My calling – the ‘deep gladness’ of my heart – is to work toward gospel renewal and human flourishing, by helping others find meaning and beauty in culture, language, and community.

How does that look like in real life? One key expression of that calling is teaching. I work as an educator in the Singapore school system, first in a junior college, then in a secondary school. My love for the Chinese language, history, and culture led me to become a Chinese language teacher. I also had the opportunity to teach Project Work to junior college students. I enjoy interacting with young people to help them figure out what they do best and do it well. 

My professional journey also meandered quite a bit as I grow in self-understanding. I took on leadership positions in middle management and had the privilege of leading excellent people under my charge. At the same time, my disposition and skill-set are more suited for the teaching track. So, in 2020 I switched from middle management to senior teacher, and worked on honing my craft as a teacher leader instead.

Parenting is another big part of my calling. I am a husband to a loving and understanding wife, and a father to two beautiful children. My daughter loves drawing and my son enjoys working with numbers. Seeing them develop these passions into talents brings deep gladness to my heart.

Since 2008, I have been studying part-time with Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST). This opened up a whole new way of thinking about our calling in life. In Christian circles, we typically associate calling with full-time Christian ministry, such as becoming a pastor or a missionary. But BGST opened my mind to see calling in a whole new light.

My journey began then, to piece together the different events of my life, and trace the call of God through it all.

I want you to join me on this journey of self-discovery too. If you are like me, chances are that you are also finding your place in life. You don’t want to settle for a mediocre existence without any real purpose or direction. Like me, you sense that life is more than just our day job or even our roles in our families and societies (important and fulfilling though they are). You sense that there is a greater purpose for why you exist in this world.

Or perhaps you have already found that higher calling in your life. Maybe you are already a missionary, a pastor, or a full-time church worker. Or maybe you have found deep satisfaction in your current day job as a doctor, a counselor, or a teacher like myself. But that does not change the fact that we occasionally feel the drag to work, the apprehension of handling the thorns and thistles in what we thought was our calling. We need to embrace our calling with all its thorns and thistles!