These are some very good questions everyone should try to ask themselves, I’ve read a few of these before over the years. But I think it can be very hard to apply some of these grand goals without giving serious consideration to other things. Despite being raised in a family that believed in a strong work ethic and having worked since I was 14 years old, I’ve struggled over the years with whether most of us can find satisfying and rewarding “work” throughout our lifetime.

I’ve been fascinated with my father (a retired public school teacher) and other men who seemed very confident the life work they chose is just where God wanted them to be. I thought I had found my life work back in the early ’80′s when I began working in christian radio. But I soon learned that there were too many sacrifices of time, friends and adequate financial means that would sustain me. I’ve never been one who sought “fame and fortune”, just enough to pay the bills and feel a sense of fulfillment in a job well done.

I think sometimes we must turn to other questions when contemplating our life work: If I marry and have a family, (if those goals are important and to many people they are) will this chosen career path be enough to financially provide for them? And if not, am I willing to give up the desire for a spouse and family to persue work that likely cannot support them? (I could barely afford to sustain myself, much less a family had I remained in the radio business) Will my work require me to work 12 or more hours a day, will I have to travel and be away from family? Or can I chose something I may not like quite as much but know I’ll be able to provide for my family and spend time with them?

I could go on and on, but I think you see that there are other things to consider in the whole “life work” pursuit. The circumstances of life also play into what we end up doing: I found myself unemployed at age 31 for about 5 months after finally completing college, and then again 5 months after that. Yes, God does provide for us in our time of need, but sometimes we have to make very difficult decisions at critical times in our life that may force us into a path we might never have chosen. (I needed gainful employment with health benefits, etc.) I ended up in state gov’t in the healthcare business. Why? I have no background or degree that is associated with this kind of work and I can’t say that I like it all that much, but it is “work” and I get paid for it. I can then pay my bills and support a family. Do I feel God has called me to do this? No, but does that mean that I shouldn’t “do all things as unto Him”? I think it may be more about living for God wherever you find yourself.

Perhaps my viewpoint is “safer”, requires less risk, I’ve never been much of a risk taker, but I have had to take major “risks” when moving thousands of miles away for college or work and I believe God has blessed those decisions. I don’t think I’ll ever know what it’s like to be doing something you completely enjoy and know it’s where God wants you, but I will continue seeking His direction and try to do everything in my work “as unto Him”.

Keep up the good work, Mark!