Do you remember thinking about your future when you were a kid? All kinds of opportunities and dreams lay ahead. Everything dangled in front of you. You were invited to dream big about being an adult—about the kind of life you’d have and the work you’d do. Parents, teachers, and friends would ask, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” and you’d speculate about being a doctor, teacher, or athlete. You may have dreamed about being a hero: a firefighter, astronaut, nurse, or police officer. Maybe you were extra brave and ambitious and even ventured to dream about being president of the United States.
Years have passed, and here you are—a little closer to that pivotal point. The realities of adulthood are on your doorstep. You might be getting ready to go off to college. Or, perhaps, you’re about to finish your undergraduate degree. Some of you will have let go of dreams; others still hold to the same aspirations. You may be on the career trajectory you imagined when you first started thinking about the future, or you may now be on a different one. It’s a good time to pause and reconsider that question you were asked as a child: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Answering this question in light of biblical priorities can set you on a trajectory toward a vocational life that’s marked by gospel-fueled obedience and a kingdom focus.
Disruptive Questions
I vividly remember being asked what I wanted to pursue for my career when I was in middle school. That conversation altered the course of my life. I was chatting with Ms. Little because I was interested in her daughter, and she wanted to know what kind of guy might be hanging around in the future. I was confident and glad she asked about my ambitions, because I was a responsible eighth grader who had figured a few things out (or so I thought).
Do you remember thinking about your future when you were younger? All kinds of opportunities lay ahead. Everything dangled in front of you.
As much as I loved sports (baseball in particular), I knew I wasn’t gifted with the skills and coordination of a professional athlete—though I could sign an autograph like one. Playing baseball was out. But working in the realm of professional baseball was still possible. In fact, if there was anything I could do, it was talk.
As a child, I’d listen to the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins games on the radio. Broadcasters like Jack Buck, Mike Shannon, Herb Carneal, and John Gordon painted unfolding pictures of the game in my imagination as I listened and hoped for a hometown victory. I’d sit and play R.B.I. Baseball on my Nintendo Game Boy while broadcasting the play-by-play and analytical color commentary to anyone who’d listen.
So when Ms. Little asked about my goals, I told her outright, “I’m going to be a professional baseball broadcaster.” It was a firm answer, and I was satisfied with it. I don’t know if that wasn’t satisfying to her or if she was thinking about the bigger picture. She asked a follow-up question that disrupted all my best-laid plans and set my life on a completely different course: “What will you do for the kingdom of God?”
Greater Purpose
As quick as I was with my first answer, I was stymied by her second question. I wasn’t thinking in this category. I fumbled out some answer along the lines of “Well, uhh, I, uhhh, I’ll be a Christian broadcaster!” Surely that’d be enough to get her to trust me and let me hang out with her daughter.
Granted, it wasn’t a terrible answer. But it wasn’t well thought out either. She had, in a singular question, introduced a concept I hadn’t yet considered—the idea of living for a greater purpose. This was a gentle challenge not to think exclusively about what I wanted to do with my life. It was an invitation to consider what God wanted me to do.
That moment began a journey toward clarity and focus in the more mature calling of my adulthood. Those questions started me along the path that eventually culminated in my vocation as a pastor. I’ve now been in full-time ministry for more than 20 years, and I have no intention of changing careers or doing anything else. This is what I’m supposed to do, what I was called to do, and what I love to do.
She had, in a singular question, introduced a concept I hadn’t yet considered—the idea of living for a greater purpose.
But I didn’t know that when I was 14. I didn’t know it when I was 18. I didn’t have complete clarity about this call until my mid-20s. But the trajectory was there. Ms. Little’s two questions were the spark that urged me to consider and ultimately commit to full-time Christian ministry.
Have you considered these two questions? Let me ask you the first one: What do you want to do when you grow up? What are your career aspirations and dreams? Are you thinking of engineering, education, or a medical profession? How about politics or civil service? Perhaps you’ve got computer programming or design on your mind. Are you dreaming about being a lawyer, stockbroker, realtor, or dentist? Maybe you’d like to be a writer or a singer? There are multitudes of career opportunities, and I’m sure that by this point in your life, you’ve narrowed it down. What ideas or options do you have in front of you?
Focus Your Ambitions
As you think about your goals and plans, let me go one step further with the next question: What will you do for the kingdom of God? Your future may seem wide open and the possibilities overwhelming, but you can establish a trajectory for a life lived well for God’s glory—no matter what career path you follow.
When I read the Bible and think about what we should and could be doing in life, I see a handful of pursuits for Christians to consider. In Romans 15:20, Paul said he made it his ambition to “preach the gospel.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, he encourages us to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind [our] own affairs, and to work with [our] hands.” These are important goals. But maybe we should start even wider—with an overarching aim that blankets all of life.
Colossians 3:17 encourages us, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” This challenge sweeps down into every nook and cranny of our lives—into all our speech and actions, whatever we say or do. Paul’s invitation to look to Christ with gratitude gives us solid ground from which we can navigate all our future pursuits. Every moment of our lives now and every dream we have for tomorrow is to be lived for the sole purpose of honoring King Jesus.
Every moment of our lives now and every dream we have for tomorrow is to be lived for the sole purpose of honoring King Jesus.
So, what will you do with your life? Who will you ultimately do it for? What will you do for God’s kingdom? As I mentioned, Paul wrote about certain noble ambitions and worthy pursuits throughout his letters. Some of these are for every Christian to pursue. All believers should make it their ambition:
- to know and love God
- to model Christlike character
- to discern, develop are deploy their gifts
- to serve others with their careers,
- and to endure hardship when it comes
Others, like preaching the gospel, were specific to Paul and his life, but if the Lord leads you into vocational Christian ministry, Paul’s call may give shape to your own. By meditating on each of these ambitions, you can find focus, clarity, and insight into what you may do with your life. But in each of these pursuits, begin with the most important one. College student, take hold of Colossians 3:17 and make it your ambition to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”