As someone who has recently been through the part of life where one decides what you want to be when you grow up, I know, it’s tough. There are so many things to take into consideration when making such a monumental decision.
One thing I would suggest you keep in mind is, what has the Lord created you to be? This is something that almost seems a little bit silly, right? Your parents might tell you you’re good at everything, if they’re anything like mine, and support you in whatever decision you make.
The world will tell you that you can be whatever you want to be, as long as you put your mind to it. That may be true, but is that what the Lord has created you to do?
This question comes up frequently in my life. My husband is the college pastor at our church, and I serve alongside him in that ministry. Here I see students stressing about their futures week after week. They are faced with wanting to be successful by the world’s standard, doing something they love, doing something they are good at or, just in general, graduating.
Then, at the BGCO Women’s Spring Retreat, I heard one of the speakers in a breakout session talk about, “You can’t be whoever you want to be.” It sounds harsh, but bear with me for a second. Her point was that God has created us specifically to be good at certain things, and you might not be good at other things.
She made the point that some people were just born to be a stay-at-home mom. That’s where they feel most successful; the Lord has blessed them with the heart to do so. Others might be born to not get married, not have children; it’s not something the Lord has planned for them.
Some people are meant to be mathematicians, doctors, artists, musicians, working mothers, stay-at-home dads, etc. He created people to be talented in different areas.
I personally love to write. I love grammar; I love how my words can affect people in a positive way; I love being creative with sentence structure. I am not going to try to be doctor. You wouldn’t want me diagnosing you or stitching you up, trust me.
Where has the Lord blessed you? Take a second and think about some of the things you enjoy doing. Do any of those point to a potential career path? The “real world” is most definitely not all rainbows and butterflies, but if you love what you do, it makes life so much better.
That sounds really “millennial” of me, but if you will hone your talents, the Lord can readily use you in the ways that He made you to be successful, long before anyone told you what you should or shouldn’t do.
After prayer and consideration with the Lord, what you decide might not make you a millionaire. He might call you to be a missionary; He might call you to be a teacher, both of which He did in His time on Earth. That is where you remind yourself of Matthew 6:19-21, which says,
“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Now, if the Lord has called you to be a brain surgeon and blessed you with those talents, don’t turn away from the job because of the size of the salary, by all means, follow His will! I just encourage you to urgently seek what gifts He has provided you and follow after His direction for your life.
Don’t try to be someone you weren’t created to be, friends. Be who the Almighty has fearfully and wonderfully made you to be.