You know how there’s that stigma about what you “should” do? Like, go to high school, get good grades, get into a good college, do stuff with numbers (cause people who know about numbers are smart, right?), meet a nice guy with a decent job, get engaged by about senior year, move to the suburbs and make sure your landscaping always looks nice.
Then there's the commute to the city, the two kids who excel at every sport, and the above-average income so you can afford that Mercedes when it comes to mid-life crisis time.
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It all sounds pretty nice, right? Well, not really. You see, I believe that if most of us worked hard enough and really wanted this type of life, we would be able to attain it. But I also don’t believe that’s what we are "supposed" to do, really.
I want to talk about moving from what we are able to do to what we are meant to do. Like I said, most of us would be able to get that house with the white picket fence and pop out some kids who are good enough at soccer to justify our mini-van carpools to the field every Saturday morning, but I truly don’t believe that’s a life most of us are supposed to live. What kind of impact are we making on the world when the most exciting thing that happens to us every week is the Book Club meeting with the other moms in town, and the worst thing that happens is the argument we get into with our husbands about who took the trash out last?
This isn’t a life I aspire to have, and I really don’t think anyone else should either.
I believe God puts a longing for certain things in our hearts. For me, that's to see the world, to taste foods from different cultures and sleep in tents in the mountains of New Zealand. I want to swim in the great Coral Reef and run the Great Wall Marathon. I want my kids to jump off waterfalls in the Grand Canyon, not spin around in teacups at Disney World.
I think God put those desires in my heart for a reason because through the things I actually like doing, He will use me for his good will. Sure, I could major in math and probably find a job, but I don’t WANT to, and why would God push me in the direction of something I will be absolutely miserable doing, where I will, at best, make friends with my co-workers, and spread a little love in the office.
I think if we follow our desires, that’s where God is hiding his great plans for us, that's where we will see the most fruit, and that’s where we will do the best for His people.
After all, we truly are just vessels for Him to do good with, so why not go where he is calling us?
Following God isn’t about being a cookie-cutter Christian, it’s about taking risks. Every day God asks us to come on an adventure with Him. Christianity isn’t supposed to be mundane, it’s not supposed to be the same thing day after day after day. Instead of thinking of things as interruptions to your life, think of them as additions to your life. Take that first step into the unknown.
So with this, I encourage you to embrace what you love and what you feel a calling towards. Parents, support your kids’ not-so-high-paying major choices. God will provide. No one wants to wake up every day and dread what is ahead. You will do the best when you are happy, and doing what you are called to do.
