The Call

I've often wondered about the process by which we decide to choose a vocation. The fact is, there aren't very many kids out there saying, "I want to be a corporate paper shuffler", or "I want to work in a steel mill" and yet there are people doing those things...

I know people who say they knew what they wanted to be when they grew up from a very early age. They then proceeded to follow that path and attain their chosen vocation. That's great for them, but I've never had that kind of clarity. The truth is, there are any number of things that I would enjoy doing for a vocation. But which one?

I never had a really strong idea of which vocation I wanted to pursue but I've always known what I didn't want to do. I knew that I didn't want to work in a factory. I knew I didn't really care a whole lot about working with my hands and I knew that I wanted to be in charge, if possible. (Or at least have a modicum of freedom in the performance of my job) It wasn't much to go by but it was enough to motivate me to go to college and then on to graduate school.

After spending some additional time experiencing jobs that I really didn't like, I ended up with one that's well-suited to my abilities. There's only one problem with that. What if I want to do something else?

I'm a little on the restless side. You know those people who encourage you to relax, close your eyes, and clear your mind? Well they've never been inside my head or they would understand it's futile to even attempt such a thing. As a result, I'm always wondering if there isn't something else I'd rather be doing. Bear in mind here that I'm not coming from the perspective of an irresponsible job hopper. I have a very stable work history and support my family quite well. I'm privileged to have the job I have and take great pride in doing a good job.

All of this restlessness brings me to another question. What would God want me to do? Does he have a specific job in mind for me or does he pretty much leave it up to me to figure that out? From my beliefs it's obvious that God has at least a general will for me, but how specific he gets otherwise is a mystery.

I see other things I can do for a vocation, but I need to determine if I should pursue them. For now, I'm using good old-fashioned common sense which, I think, will keep me from quitting my job and going to work as, say, a greeter at Wal-Mart. I'm also asking God to show me what else is out there. I think I'm going to have to be patient though since God rarely (possibly never) runs on my timetable.

I guess the thing to do at this point is throw the questions out there,
How do you know what to do with your life?
How much do you rely on "answers from above" or on just powering ahead and praying that God will bless your efforts?

Oh, and one more thing. If there's anyone out there looking for a very capable person to travel the world occasionally and do some unspecified legal technical or professional business for large sums of money, feel free to contact me. I think I know just the guy for the job.