Recently I was having some quiet time with Jesus outside on the upstairs balcony of my home. It was dusk, and as I gazed up at the pink sky, time seemed to stand still. Something about looking at the sky always makes me feel small, and I couldn’t help but contemplate my life.

I’m always asking God what His will is for me, especially in this stage in my life when everything seems uncertain. I question if I’m doing what is right, sometimes worrying that I’m not where I’m supposed to be.

But laying there under the sunset with Jesus, it dawned on me… it really doesn’t matter. He doesn’t really care what career path we choose, as long as the work we are doing is glorifying Him and helping others.

Does He know what we will pick? Yes. Does He have a special plan for each of us? Absolutely. Will His will ultimately bring us the most fulfillment? Yup.

But we also have to remember that His will is for us to know, love, and serve Him to the best of our capacity. And we can love and serve Him in whatever we are doing.

So today, this is for all of y’all out there freaking out that you’re not where God wants you. Relax. Sit back. Let’s be small together and contemplate this eternal perspective…

I Want to Do Something Epic 

Since I was little, I’ve had this dream: change the world.

Sounds kinda cheesy and crazy I know, but for my ten-year-old self, when I thought of what I wanted to do when I grew up, I wanted it to be something epic. I looked up to people, especially the great saints, who all seemed to impact the world in a grand way. So naturally I wanted to do the same thing!

When I was eleven years old, I decided that I was going to be a pro tennis player. I was going to be famous because I wanted to touch lives and change the world through sports.

While the desire to do something epic for God still remains, a different desire has also emerged as I’ve grown closer to the Lord. In reading about the lives of the saints, I’ve learned of the beauty in humble service, in quietly serving the Lord in our lives, through our work, in our ministries.

Ephesians 1:11-12 says,

“In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory.”

We exist for the praise of His glory. That is is our purpose. In the end, it doesn’t matter if we impact the world in a small way like Therese of Liseiux or in a grand way like Joan of Arc. The point is that in all we do, our work should point us back to Christ.

So Many Options

If the purpose in our work is to glorify the Lord and we are His instruments, He can use us however He’d like. The best carpenters can use any old tool and God the Father is the best of the best!

He gives us free will to choose our careers and work in life – how we’d like to serve Him and others. He’s going to use us to further His Kingdom wherever we are if we let Him.

Oftentimes I think we place far too much importance on the things we do – on our careers. Kids in college are stressing about what major to choose, thinking it’s going to define their whole life. Then they get out of college and freak out that they have to get a real job in the world. And then it’s the real big question of: What do I want to do? How do I choose? There are SO MANY OPTIONS!!!

But the thing is: NONE OF IT EVEN MATTERS.

Our careers are not as important as one makes them out to be. If we have an eternal perspective on life, then we know that the only requirement to be a saint is holiness and following Christ’s teachings. So everyone from the janitor at a school to the CEO of Amazon have the same requirements for eternal life.

Now I’m not saying we should get lazy in school or not pursue success in our career fields. God wants us to develop the talents He’s given us. My point is to remind you of your littleness in the grand scheme of things. The purpose behind your work is to glorify God and serve others. So our career vocations should reflect that perspective.

The Eternal Perspective

So what do I mean by an eternal perspective? It means holding lightly to the things of this world and tightly to the things of heaven.

Jesus reminds us of this in the story of the rich young man.

“And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” …

The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. (Matthew 19: 16-22)

I think many times we are like the rich young man. We observe the commandments and do the right things, but we are too attached to the things of this world – to our jobs, careers, lifestyles, habits…

To have an eternal perspective means placing more emphasis on HOW we are working, rather than WHAT we are doing. Our career and the tasks we perform should actually prepare our souls for heaven if done properly.

St. Therese of Lisieux epitomizes this perspective when she says,

“Your vocation is love.”

Something Epic = Something Small

Therese reminds us that it doesn’t necessarily matter what kind of work we do here on earth as long as we love God and others through it. But to do that, we must recognize that all work has meaning. From changing diapers to mowing the lawn to paying taxes to changing the ink toner at the office for the 100th time and everything in between. Those actions, those duties, those tasks we have throughout our career vocations can become EPIC when done with love. When done with the intent of honoring and glorifying God with our work.

There’s just as much beauty in the small, seemingly meaningless task as there is in the epic extraordinary task. We need both Joans of Arc and Thereses of Lisieux in this world. To change the world we need people with heroic virtue, willing to say yes to God in everyday life.

[ctt template=”11″ link=”_A1k4″ via=”yes” ]”To change the world we need people with heroic virtue, willing to say yes to God in everyday life.”[/ctt]

So if you’re like me, if you have this deep desire to change the world, to leave an impact, do it!

But do it by being EPIC in the small things. Learn to love God and others in the tasks you have now, and He will use them to touch lives and change the world as HE sees fit, not YOU. Maybe it will be something important that people will remember for generations, or maybe it will be something forgotten tomorrow. Whatever it is, if done with virtue, one thing is for sure- it will be epic.

So do something big today by doing something small.

From the depths of my soul,

Josie

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