Getting down to business – What should I do with my life?

What should I do with my life? Am I doing God’s plan? Is this supposed to be my career? A lot of people are forced into making a career decision without carefully considering these questions because they enter the workforce desperate to earn money. In many cases, they end up hating the job. But have we asked the right questions and/or have we asked the right people?

God wants to advise us on every area of our lives and wants us to come to Him. We read in James 1:5 (NLT), “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” God is gracious and responds with love. So let’s hear what God has to say to us about our lives and moving in the right direction through the Bible.

If we want to honour God with our lives, we need to recognise that life is about God and not about us. The scripture says: “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 (NIV). God’s best plan for our lives happens when we allow Him to direct our steps and nothing can ever be better than God’s plan for us.

Sometimes we end up fighting to go our own way, in the wrong direction … “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21 (NIV). Instead of fighting, we should say to God, “God I want what You want. I want to exchange my plan for Your plan.”

We all have a skill which others tell us, “you are good at that, I could see you doing that for the rest of your life.” But sometimes what we are good at is not necessarily what we love. So, we need to ask ourselves not “what do we love”, but what are we good at doing. God loves to bring our passion, profession or vocation together in whatever we are good at doing. Exodus 31:3 (NLT) says, “I (God) have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.” This gives us a sense of where God is taking us, so its easier to see what is in front of us.

The Lord also tells us in Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV), “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” So, what is directly in front of us? Let’s not be afraid if it’s not the master plan we had in mind for sometimes what is in front of us is a stepping stone to where God wants to carry us. Just do what is in front of us and do it well.

Then finally, consider what service will we offer to God. Let’s ask ourselves, “what’s going to be my life’s ministry?” We are to influence the people around us by being light, that is, sharing the love of Christ. After finding God’s will for our lives, doing what we are good at to the best of our ability, then our ultimate role is to bring glory to God. Satisfaction comes not only from getting a good salary but also from serving the Lord.

Right now, our work may not bring us satisfaction as it is challenging. But we can decide to love God and the people we work with and demonstrate excellence on the job. Our work environment may be tough and the people we work with challenging, but God may have you in that environment because you are the light and He wants you to shine. So be the light, change your view and decide that your workplace will be your place of ministry. Represent Christ to your co-workers, pray for them and allow God to be glorified at work.