Choosing a career

I hear this question all the time: What career should I choose? I hear it especially from young highschoolers. They want to know what it is that they should do for the rest of their lives. And, because a career usually lasts your entire life, they don’t want to pick anything that they won’t like later down the road. I completely understand the hesitance, it’s an extremely difficult decision, and I don’t claim to have an answer for anyone. If you’re looking for me to tell you a specific job to choose, then you may want to quit reading this article altogether. Because all I can do is give you general guidelines on how to do a career, and possibly choose one. However, what I can tell you is that it’s really not that important what you do for the rest of your life; it is much more important how you do your job for the rest of your life. Let me explain what I mean further.

Every single job that exists can be accomplished in two different ways: (1) you can work that job for God, or (2) you can work that job for yourself. If you choose number two, then I’m sorry to tell you that you will not be intrinsically motivated to do your job passionately, or very well. And, as we all know, intrinsic motivation (motivation that comes from within yourself) is much more sustainable over a lifetime. That is why it is so important to work your career for God; because if you are saved, then the Holy Spirit will internally motivate you to do your job to the best of your ability. You will mostly be motivated because the new Spirit that lives inside of you will transform your heart, and you will have a heart that is more concerned with giving God glory than giving yourself personal satisfaction (whether monetary or otherwise). This is another reason why we need Jesus—so we have a reason to wake up in morning. We only have so many days on this Earth, and a heart consumed by the Spirit will try to use those days to maximize the glory of our Creator.

Now, how do we maximize the glory of our Creator?

For one, we simply follow the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”[1] What does loving God with everything you have look like? Well, personally, I do not follow this commandment as much as I should; therefore, I probably shouldn’t be the one to give you a synopsis of it. But, I can tell you this: It should be apparent that you are more concerned with other people than yourself. Because Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and closest Friend, did just that.

He valued other people so much that He literally went to a cross to die for others.

When I worked at Kanakuk camps in Lampe, Missouri, there was an award that we gave out at the end of each week at K-seven. It was called the “I’m Third” award. Essentially, it was given to someone who put God first, others second, and themselves last that week during camp. It was an awesome award because it represented exactly what we should strive for as Christians. Our mission in life should be to love God with everything we have, and as a byproduct of loving God, we can’t help but love other people. And by loving other people in a truthful and meaningful way, we subsequently put ourselves third. This type of mindset, this type of lifestyle, is what doing your job for God looks like.

Again, the point here is this: It’s more important how you do your job, not which job you choose. Someone can give God just as much glory by being a neuroscientist as someone can by being a farmer, a pastor, or a teacher. The issue is who do you put first in your life? If it is in fact your Creator, then everything else will fall into place, including your future career. God’s Word tells us in Mathew to, “. . . seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.”[2]

We tend to worry so more about God’s specific will, such as what we should do for a career, or who we should marry. But really, that is something that we really cannot know for sure. If there are two very good jobs, both of which are ethical and give you the opportunity to give God glory, then there is no way to know for sure which one God wants you to do. Unless of course there is some type of divine revelation, but usually most people are not given any special signs.

When it comes to marriage, it’s not so important who you marry (again, so long as you follow the guidelines of searching for a mate that is not unequally yoked [4]) as it is how you do marriage. It’s not so important that the ring is perfect, the venue, or even the person, but it’s important that the marriage is based on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. That both people in the marriage recognize that marriage is a symbol of the covenant between Jesus Christ (the groom), and His church (the believers).

You’ll find that when you start to worry more about the overall will of God, such as how we do things, that the stress of the specific will of God goes away—and it should. We should be anxious over nothing, and we should only be worried about doing our best with the specific things God tells us to do: such as to love Him with everything we have.

So, all we can do is follow God’s commandments: His guidelines for how. For instance, we should follow the great commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [3]

I’m not telling you to quit thinking about what you should do for a career, but I am telling you that you shouldn’t be too worried about it. You should definitely look at your options, and think about what it is that you are interested in, but don’t get too hung up in the details. Think more about the general picture of what your life should look like, and how you can glorify God no matter what career you choose, and you will have a peace of mind that is not from this world. It’s also important to consider that every job has its hang-ups and let-downs; so don’t try to find the “perfect” job. At the end of the day, it’s just a job. But at the end of your life, how you did that job, and the lives you impacted for the Glory of Jesus Christ, is what truly will matter.

Cite: Faucett, D. (2017). Choosing a Career. Faucett Journal. Retrieved from http://www.faucettjournal.com/articles/choosing-a-career
References:

1. See Mathew 22:36-40 New International Version, NIV.
2. See Mathew 6:33 New International Version, NIV.
3. See Mathew 28:19-20 New International Version, NIV.
4. See 2nd Corinthians 6:14.