What Should I Do with My Life?

How many times have you asked yourself this question?


For me, I feel like it is an annual affair, bordering on an on-going pursuit. While there have certainly been moments and seasons of increased clarity, I have yet to arrive at 'the answer'. And, I'm speculating here, perhaps that is simply part of sanctification - God's continual growth process for His children.


I ran across this quote while glancing through Christen's blog recently:


"I felt so distinctly that He asked two questions of me.  1) Do you believe that I am good? 2) Do you trust me?  You see, as Tozer put it, what comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.  Theology isn't something to be left to the majors.  It is for you and for me.  You already believe something about who God is, and it's affecting the way you live your life.  More plainly stated, what you do with your life reflects what you believe about God.  I knew that I could trust Him and that He was good, but did I really believe it.  If I believed it, then my life would show it (bold type added)."

See if you can follow me on this. The question 'What should I do with my life?' must be directly linked to what you believe about God and how He has made you and 'ordered (your) steps'. A better set of questions to ask, at first, is 'How has God built me? How can I best steward those gifts?'

The key to this, though, is to be honest with yourself and to allow God to refine you through the questions. He may answer you in a way that you don't necessarily like. Perhaps what He's planned for you to do isn't appealing to you at the moment. Perhaps you're not the five-talent servant from Jesus's parable; you only have one. Perhaps you are the five-talent person, and you feel pulled in so many directions you don't know what to do - they all look good and possible, but the best is elusive.

Another quote from Christen:

"If you're never stepping out into a place that requires God to show up or do something that is beyond your natural abilities, then you're missing out on an opportunity to see God move on your behalf which strengthens and builds your faith. I would go so far as to say that faith doesn't grow in the comfort of the American Dream. It dies."

Faith is the result of the Holy Spirit awakening your heart, bringing it to life, and then renewing your mind to understand real Truth. It comes by 'hearing, and hearing the Word of God.' Spirit and Truth. Thus, the next challenge, after assessing how God has built you and determining what your stewardships are, is to then ask God to test you in your trust of Him. In this, He will stretch your faith beyond the limits you now know. It is there that the fullness of His will is enacted in your life - because it is wholly Him and none of you. When you operate within the limits of what you know of yourself, you are not operating out of faith. When you, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, step outside of your created limits, you step into His operative strength in the midst of your relative weakness. Do you have a part to play in all of this? Absolutely. You are not a robot, simply 'doing the will of God'. I am not here speaking of mere determinism. I am speaking of the unreserved offering of oneself as a 'living sacrifice' to God, an empty, broken vessel that desires only to be mended and filled by Jesus and His Spirit.

And here we arrive again at the central battle of the Christian life, at least as I see it: Do you believe God is good?  Everything I have written up to this point hinges on the answer to that question. Moreover, how you answer that question will determine the trajectory of your entire life, and that is not an overstatement. The only way to answer the question properly is to get to know Him - His attributes, how He reveals Himself in the Bible, how He's worked in your life and the lives of people you know. You read about Him, you talk to Him, you think on Him, you remember Him. You don't settle for simple sayings, self-help, or steps. You dig deep only to realize there's an infinite depth still to go. You mine the Word for solid truth on which to stand. You read more from outside sources. You listen to preachers, teachers, professors, pastors, friends. You think deeply, feel intensely, and act accordingly.

Once you arrive at the conclusion that God is good, no matter the particular circumstances of your life, everything changes. When you further conclude that His goodness also makes Him trustworthy, you more easily yield to what He shows you along the way. And, when you accept that His plans are 'good, pleasing, and perfect' you are able to relax because you know that He has the best in mind for you, even if you don't yet understand how it could be called best.