Religion reporter follows her calling in daily job

CT@Prayer shares Tracy Simmon's work in the profile of her, "What makes religion journalist tick", describing her role as a reporter of religion. Simmons interviewed Thomas Moore when his book, A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You were Born to do became available and asked him about career satisfaction:

"I interviewed Moore in 2008 when this book came out and asked him why people with steady careers were unhappy. He said people could be successful, even if they aren’t doing what they were created for. 

'…beneath the surface, your labors are shaping your destiny for better or worse. If you ignore the deeper issues, you may not know the nature of your calling, and if you don’t do work that connects with your deep soul, you may always be dissatisfied, not only in your choice of work but in all other areas of life,' he writes."

Simmons considers her role confronting ignorance and stubbornness that often influence reactions to religions:

"I believe that my true calling is to work as a journalist and educate people about various faiths. With the state of the media as it is religion reporters are an endangered species. So that means those of us left have to work a little harder to be heard.

So, yes, sometimes a clergyperson’s words will haunt me. But at the end of the day I feel even closer to God because, like I told Moore, I feel like I’m doing what I was born to do. And if it weren’t challenging, I’d be bored and would be one of those 45 percent of Americans who are unhappy with their careers."

Simmons is editor of Creedible.com, an online magazine that covers religion news in Connecticut.