Like this:

The Will of God has always been a mind-boggling topic for me. It only takes a nano-second mulling it over before my mind shouts, “TILT!”

On my walk yesterday I listened to a sermon by Erwin McManus of Mosaic Church on my cute green iPod. It just happened to be about the will of God. I really enjoyed it, too. It made my walk in 1000 degree weather much more enjoyable (and no, the extra zero there was not a mistake!).

Maybe I should back-track a bit. I have always wondered WHY I bothered to spend an extra 2 years of my life after college getting an advanced degree. I have a specialized MBA called a Masters of International Business. I worked hard on learning to be fluent in German and even did an internship in Germany in marketing research. But then I got out of school, got a job in pharmaceuticals and have only spoken German in 2000 when I went with my mom to Germany on vacation. I haven’t even thought much about international trade and I’m sure I’ve forgotten more than I ever learned.

So why did I do it? Did I miss the will of God for my life?

Fast-forward a bit to McManus’ sermon…one of his points was that our life is about the PROCESS of becoming Christ-like. We are works in progress and everything in our life shapes us to the image of Christ. It’s not always about success as it’s sometimes about failure and pain and difficulties that shape us the most. If life were “easy” why would we need to rely on God to help us? Right? He also talked about how truly great athletes don’t just focus on the goal, they focus on the process – the diligent training that will get them to their goal.

So back to the question of WHY did I labor through a very intensive program like MIBS? I always imagined that I would be VP of International Marketing one day. Truly that was my GOAL. When that didn’t exactly pan out, I have often wondered if maybe God would send me on a mission trip where I could use my knowledge of the German language. Nope. That hasn’t happened yet and doesn’t appear it will as far as I can see into the future. I don’t even have some fabulous job where I use my very expensive education.

Again I ask…did I miss the will of God for my life?

In listening to McManus’ sermon, I think I can answer that.

No.

Because the PROCESS of going through a rigorous Master’s program gave me immense confidence in myself and my abilities. I never thought I was that smart, yet somehow I managed to get through the top-rated international business program in the US. I lived and worked in a foreign country. I learned to be truly independent as a young adult. The whole process made me who I am now as an adult. And who’s to say that SOMEDAY I just might be able to use my German language ability for the glory of God? I keep praying for that to happen.

In process. Sometimes that seems like being between a rock and a hard place in life. Sometimes it’s hard to see that any of it makes sense. But maybe that’s what faith is all about. For now I’ll just trust Him to figure it out.

Advertisement