On April 29th, we had one of our young adults, Yelena, tackle a question about knowing what God's plan is for your life and what to do when a potential job might ask you to do something that's contrary to your morals or beliefs. For those that missed it, here are the notes.
What are some ways
that we can know what God’s will is for our lives? Some vocations
are clearly wrong and some are clearly right. What do we do about the vocations
in-between ( military, cop, doctor to preform abortions etc)
This is a two part question that we
need to tackle.
These are questions that many of us will be asking ourselves for most of our
lives. Even when we have seemingly figured out what we are “meant” to do, there
could be questions lingering - this is called doubt. What is important to
remember, is that we may (and most likely won't ) have this answer the day we
graduate from high school. Hey, we may not have this answer after we graduate
from university. That’s okay.
How do we know God’s will for our lives?
There
are FOUR things that we need to
remember when it comes to figuring out what God’s will is for our lives.
1. The first and most important
thing we are called to do is to serve God and spread
his good news.
Take a look at:
•
MATTHEW 28:19 - 20
•
ROMANS 12: 1-2
•
PROVERBS 16:3
At
the core of our lives, the reason God created us to serve him. To spread his
good news. This is important, because if we forget this, we are not doing what
God called us to do - not acting out this will.
2. Look at what gifts God has already given you
•
1 PETER 4:10
God will not call you do be an engineer if you can’t stand math. God
would not call you to be an artist, if drawing a stickman is complicated for
you. What are you naturally good at? This is a question that many may ask well
into their careers, where they are just not happy. God doesn’t want you to be
miserable, he wants us to be joy filled. If we are not happy people, we
are not going to be able to spread the good news. It may be attractive to work
in a field the may make you more money, or give you more “power”. The truth
here, is that money, power, fame - its all temporary. It won’t last, and if
your roots are there, it will be swept up quickly.
Take a look at what you're passionate
about as well. It is no mistake that you love the things that you do. I am
OBSESSED with figure skating - literally if I hear figure skating from across
the room (and I will) I’ll be gone with the wind. Its not a
mistake that i love this sport. I am supposed to do something with it. Take a
look at the things you love, and maybe can’t explain why. There could be the
seeds of God’s will for your life.
3.
Look at the "through" moments in your life.
We have all
gone through something. All of us. Never discount the hardships in our
lives. There is a huge reason we go through the things that we do. God gives us
these difficulties, to teach us. Our trials are catered to us. I like to think
of it this way: would a lawyer go to medical school to become a lawyer?
Absolutely not - it doesn't make sense. God is testing you because it has something to do with your calling. Maybe to teach you a trait -
such as being humble, or teach you how to stand up for yourself in the face of
a bully. The things that we go through (and learning/growing from them) can help us to become the people God wants us to be.
4.
Last, but absolutely not least: Pray.
Constant communication with God is
how we get our answers. Read the bible, speak to other Christians, seek out advice
from mentors. We can do all of the above, but if we aren’t connected to God, we
may not ever know what we are meant to do.
Remember,
that everyone has a unique mission, and calling. I know at this age its easy to
want to do something just because your best friend is doing it. But just
because your friend is an engineer, does not mean you have to be. Know that in
whatever God’s will is for your life,
you answer to him.
COLOSSIANS 3:23
What do we do about vocations that are in-between?
Let's first remove the idea that there are vocations
that are “clearly good”. This is not true. Any vocation can
become “wrong” if you are doing it for the wrong
reasons. You could be an incredible Pastor, but if you are doing it to be
popular, it loses its “good”. The minute you forget about God
and his call for us to spread his word, our vocations are no longer “good”
There are definitely
vocations that can seem wrong on the surface; such as the examples given above. We need to remember that God needs his people
everywhere. That is why some people may be called to work in the
military, be cops, politicians, and other tough vocations. This is not to say
it will be easy, it will be tough, and you may be constantly asked to
compromise your values. This is where you need to stand strong, and rooted in
God. I put it this way, you are not forced to do anything; you have a choice.
Remember this when you make decisions. If you feel that you have to compromise
what you know to be true, in order to do everyday work, it is important to get
out.
But
also remember this, God will take care of you. He will protect you.
Jeremiah 29:11
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