Must I get a job in order to marry my fiancee? Part 2 (of 4): The challenge of experience.

Please note: names have been changed for reasons of confidentiality.

Sharon loves me as I am and wants to marry me as I am. It is not a condition of hers that I have to get a job before (or after) we are married….

Disabilities do prevent people from being in paid employment because the world of work does not take into account sufficiently the needs of disabled people.

Sharon has physical – neurological disabilities: ankle joint problem and epilepsy. I have biological – psychological disabilities manifest by: depression, anxiety, social anxiety, post traumatic stress disorders, and splitting (thought-feeling and occasional possessive affection-repulsive/rejection instability).

When I was exploring a vocation to be an ordained priest in the church of England I was told by an examining chaplain to “get a job, any job”. This ‘any job’ caused a sharp conflict in my conscience. This is because I believe that Jesus taught us to be the willing servant of all and to use our talents to encourage talents in others. The ‘any job’ fits the former but not the latter and it seems to me that the world of work is geared, unfortunately, to the former only except for a privileged few perhaps. But the fact is that it is more complex than this. Think through: issues evidenced by deprivation, disadvantage and inequality in the areas of (and interaction between the areas of ): nurture of all kinds in the family (versus low self esteem), education, beaurocratic dominance of ‘qualifications’ for access to meaningful work and I think that you’ll know or at least I hope that you’ll know, what I am getting at.

To me the conclusion “that’s just the way it is” is not acceptable because I am a Christian who’s task is to co-operate with God in the restoration of God’s image in creation alluded to by the teachings and example of Jesus Christ.