DIG DEEPER

A challenge within Christian culture is the way decision-making is often framed. Many of us feel paralyzed by the fear that if we choose one career path over another, one path over another, we will disappoint God. This way of thinking becomes a crutch. It creates the illusion that God is located in one option but absent from another. It also assumes that God is more invested in the specific choice than in the person who is choosing.

Instead of starting with the question, Should I be a doctor or a teacher, or Should I attend this school or that one, or Should I take this position or another, begin by asking a different set of questions. What is the story my life has told so far? What experiences have shaped me? What brings me deep joy? What energizes me? And equally important, What brings me deep pain? Because the intersection of passion and pain is often where purpose is revealed.

At our core, we are all storytellers. We are all telling the story of love, of God, and of the hope of eternity. While the goal may be the same, the way we tell the story will never be identical. You can tell it through teaching, through medicine, through art, through advocacy, through leadership, through quiet influence, or through work that seems ordinary to others but sacred to you. You will be far more effective and far more fulfilled when you learn to tell the story of God’s love in a way that is specific to who you are, shaped by the journey you have lived.

Your calling is not just about choosing a career. It is about aligning with the life your story has already been forming. When you choose a path that reflects your joy, your experiences, your questions, your strengths, and even your wounds, you begin to tell the story God has entrusted to you in a way that is honest and meaningful.

And here is a gentle reminder worth holding close. Ellen White once wrote, “Not more surely is the place prepared for us in the heavenly mansions than is the special place designated on earth where we are to work for God” Christ’s Object Lessons, page 327. Her words affirm that you are not an afterthought. God has prepared space for your presence and your purpose. You are wanted, you are intended, and you are invited to step into the work that brings you alive.