God's Calling? Working World to Missions

Do you ever have thoughts of doubt? There are many moments when I examine my time spent at school and think, what am I doing? What if Jesus returns tomorrow, will the last thing I worried about be the test I have been studying for, or the job I hoped to get? I feel ashamed to be doing anything other than spreading God’s word.

While these thoughts are real and genuine, I also experience moments of far future thinking. I daydream about productive working days when I can make a living and provide for myself. Maybe I could finally move to a big city, rent a cute apartment, and get a job designing.

My 25 year old brother, John, went through a very similar process. He studied accounting and finance at Grove City College, worked very hard to graduate top of his class, yet felt a pull to do missions. He has only been out of school 3.5 years but has already quit his job as an accountant to serve full time for Young Life, a mission organization with the main goal of sharing the Christian gospel with high school students.

When I asked John if he always wanted to do missions, he shared, “No, I definitely did not,” though he states he remembers a time where he hoped he would follow God’s call wherever it would lead. His decision to join Young Life staff has been a reflection of this statement.

John took a leap of faith, regardless of any doubt he might have had, and trusted in God. Many might look at this and call it a waste of an education, of money, and of time. John sees it as a blessing and a privilege, as he is able to work with high school students and point them to Christ. Not only does he have the honor of doing this, but his education allows him to work side jobs that allow him to provide for himself. College gifted him with a marketable skill. He also credits his time there to “crucial growth in (his) faith,” which holds an even higher value in my opinion.

So what about this doubt and guilt of being unsure? “Don’t feel guilty entering the working world, even if you know the Lord has called you to missions,” John says. Besides, “anywhere that people are IS a mission field if you treat it as such. Wherever you are right now is exactly where God wants you.”