Not Just a Job, an Adventure

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84:5, NIV)

It used to be that I would look to the heavens and say, “Lord, just show me what it is that I’m supposed to be doing so that I can do it. I don’t know what it is I’m supposed to do with my life.”

In my limited mind, I thought that walking in the will of God meant to find that one job and then do it forever. Did God want me to go work in a factory? Did He want me to be a librarian? What did He want me to do with my life? All the older adults would get a job then stay there for 40 years, miserable or not, and retire. What was my 40-year job supposed to be? Some people know exactly what they want to do from the time they are born. They just KNOW. I never knew. I never wanted to be anything. Some fleeting thoughts would roll through my brain from time to time when I was a youth, but they were just whims and not passions.

As an adult, the struggle continued. Having obtained the “40-Year Job” in a cubicle, I found life to be unhappy and unsatisfactory. I dreaded going to work every single day. But that was what everyone else was doing so I thought it must be the right thing to do. No one else looked too happy about it either so I figured that must be normal. Apparently health benefits and a 401K were more important than silly things like joy and contentment.

After ten years, the misery became unbearable. I wanted to get out, but quitting a nice cozy job was not the adult thing to do, especially with a mortgage and bills. God was nudging me to trust him but I wasn’t quite sure at first. “I don’t know, God,” I’d say. “It looks to me like everyone else is just as miserable. Can’t you just help me to like doing this?”

Then God would chuckle and wait.

God is very patient. He would whisper, “Trust me.” I would pretend I didn’t hear. After awhile, He’d whisper it again, “Trust me.” I finally did.

It has been non-stop adventure ever since. Here is what I’ve learned since: Walking in the will of God does not necessarily mean our job/income/what we do for a living. However, if we’re open to it, He will lead us to the perfect job as well, tailor made to suit our abilities and talents. Again, the key is to be open to wherever God nudges us to go. Being in God’s will is not just a job, it’s an adventure.

Walking the path God has laid out for each one of us is a moment by moment process. It’s how we interact with the people we come in contact with: at the Dollar General, at the gas station, at the school, at church, at our house, wherever we go. It’s being open to whatever the day brings. There are days that I have deadlines and absolutely have to get earthly things done, things that other humans have cooked up for me to do. I don’t really care for those days. They’re not as fulfilling and they make my brain hurt. The best days are the unplanned days where I’m free to do whatever God has for me to do. That does not mean “my days off,” it means days with a more open agenda. It might mean walking out the office door at just the right time to have a chance encounter with someone who is driving through town looking for an address that just happens to be next door to where I live. (“Follow me! I’m going there right now!”) Or walking out the door at just the right time as someone pulls in looking for the “the New Enterprise Quarry.” (“This is the TOWN of New Enterprise, not the quarry. Go down to the stop sign, hang a left and keep going north on Rt. 36 through Roaring Spring- trust me, you’ll see it.”)

If we’re on the right path, we encounter the people who find us EXACTLY when they need us. That, to me, is what it’s all about. It also works in reverse, sometimes WE need the help and it is provided for us, when others are on the right path.

So how do we GET on the right path? Start every day in communication with God. Every morning, pray that He would send us where He wants us to go. Now that doesn’t mean skip work. It means all day, wherever we are, be open to what is going on around us, whether at work, at home, in the car. Opportunities pop up at any moment. Be ready. Be willing. Trust God. Not everything is complicated or difficult. Most of it isn’t. It could be that the most important thing we do all day is to hold a door open for someone struggling to get in out of the rain. God will direct you flawlessly to exactly where you should be without you even knowing it. Just trust him. The joy and contentment to be found cannot be measured and is worth far more than anything the world has to offer. Just trust God and be open. It’s as simple as that.

“Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” (Psalm 84:12, NIV)