Have you ever wondered what it takes to be satisfied? Are you…Satisfied with life? Satisfied with work? Satisfied with where you’re headed? Satisfied with where you’re at in life?
Well God has really been dealing with me on this over the past few months. In particular, I have been struggling with not being satisfied with where I am at in life and not being satisfied with my job. I have been struggling to finally commit to a career path for my life. I haven’t figured it all out, but I hope to share some insight on what God has taught me thus far.
Since Fall of 2014, I just haven’t been satisfied with where I am at in life. I had just returned from my first long term mission’s trip and realized I had been “bitten by the bug.” It’s the bug that is kind of unexplainable to those who haven’t been bitten by it. However, when you take your first mission’s trip you will understand. And when it bit me, it bit hard. On this trip I got to see the world, and during this time, God revealed to me that missions was my calling. Even more so, He revealed that I am supposed to help lead others around the world, disciple them and lead them while doing mission’s work. I fell in love with God on a whole new level. He planted, inside of me, this deep and burning desire and passion to serve the world that is still there today.
When I got home I felt stuck where I was. I applied back to my old college, and began working. In doing so I began to feel tied down and stuck, and this was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be traveling and helping people. I am the type of guy, that if I had the money, I would throw a dart at a map and travel there that minute to see how I could help and spread His love. As I began my classes and working, I was initially very excited for the blessing of schooling and an income, which those things are indeed huge blessings. But once the “honeymoon period” of a new job wore off, I was miserable. This was not what God had called me to do, and it’s not my passion to work retail (believe it or not). At the same time I was beginning to explore my options in school on how I could get a degree in a job field that would provide lots of money for travel. Slowly but surely I began to try and implement my own plan into God’s plan. I even tried my hand at direct sales in hopes of making lots of money. I was ignoring God and trying to follow my own path with the passions and desires He had given me. My intentions were all good. However, it still wasn’t within God’s plan. As a result, I was extremely unsatisfied and frustrated with life.
Let me pause here and say that there is certainly a time to be content in the season you are in, and that certainly plays in here. But I was never going to be able to be content with where I was because I was trying to do it my way and not letting God do it His way. I thought that getting a job that would pay lots of money would allow me to do more mission’s work, but it certainly wouldn’t allow for full time mission’s, which is what God had called me to. Therefore, I would never be satisfied or content. You see I believe real satisfaction with your life and with your job comes when you start to follow God’s plan and chase after God’s career path for your life. So many people in this world wake up everyday looking for satisfaction through the money they gain from the job that they hate. They aren’t satisfied with their job or with life. That was me!
I was so worn out. Worry began to set in about where money would come from for my future family. I was worried that if I committed to full time ministry, how would I support my future spouse? My future kids? But this wasn’t mine to worry about. I began to get frustrated that the answer to my future wasn’t coming to me. What was I supposed to do? Where is the money going to come from? How was this going to work!?!?
God began to speak to me and reveal to me these words, “Your satisfaction will come when you start doing and pursuing what I told you, you were here for.” I was so unsatisfied and frustrated with where I was and where I thought I was going all because I was trying to do it my way. But it doesn’t work like that with God. Soon after that I read a quote from Frederick Buechner, an American writer and theologian, which reads, “The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Let’s just say that quickly became my favorite quote. Ever! It was so applicable to my situation. It said everything I was experiencing.
Jesus explains in Matthew 6 that he will give us what we need if we take care of His church and follow His plan. He will provide for us the basics; food, water, and shelter. I have heard this passage of scripture time and time again while growing up in the church, but it wasn’t until just recently that it really impacted me and was made clear to me. If you take this verse from a selfish point of view, which I had done my whole life, you see it as just receiving the basics. Part of me always thought, “I want more.” But I didn’t need more. And in this passage of scripture Jesus explains that the pagans toil their entire lives just to get these 3 things, but all we have to do is follow His plan, and He says He will give them to us. Just saying the word ‘toil’ is depressing. Why toil for excess when all I have to do is follow His plans?
So, if you aren’t satisfied in life, ask yourself a few questions. Am I following God’s plan? Am I listening and heeding to His voice? What are my true motives for the things I am pursuing? Am I striving for excess material things or excess of God’s presence?
