In yesterday’s post about some cardinals complaining about Pope Benedict XVI leaving his calling, I asked about when it’s permissible to leave one’s vocation. We didn’t really talk about that much, but I think it deserves consideration. Set aside the question of the pope and let’s discuss this as it relates to the various vocations that Christians hold. At what point should we leave a vocation for another one, and how do we know that we should do that? First, let me give some preliminary thoughts.It has often been said–by Luther, among others–that we should stay in our vocations, that the devil wants to get us out of the assignment where God has placed us. At the same time, it is evident that vocations change. A person is born into a family and has the calling of being a child to his parents. Then the child grows up, leaves home, and enters into the vocation of marriage. Later, a new vocation is added: that of parent. In the meantime, that person may have held many different jobs to make a living for his family, each of which was a vocation for awhile. That person may also have been a citizen of a number of different communities or even nations.