A Great Question

Early one morning this past week as David and I are sitting together in the living room, reading our Bibles and writing in our journals, I look over and see him fervently writing and then looking off into the distance. Interested in the thoughts of my eldest son, I asked him, "What are you thinking about?" Now David is an internal processor and often does not respond quickly with what is on his mind, but not this morning...


Very quickly he tells me that "Mama" had asked him recently what he wanted to do or felt God was going to lead him to do with his life when he got older...and he didn't know.  He continues telling me that he spent that morning praying and asking God what he should do with regard to his future career and life direction.

When I heard this answer from him, many thoughts rushed into my mind as well as a clear message from God the Spirit.  I thought to myself, how wonderful is this!  Here is a dynamic and sweet young man, sitting before his Lord, asking with an open and humble heart one of the most important questions we American Christians ask--What am I going to be when I grow up?

I meet people all the time who are 1) sure of what they are going to do and are going after it, 2) are discouraged because what they are doing is not fulfilling, or 3) are discouraged because they aren't really doing anything and don't know where they are going.  Yet in that moment when David shared, I realized that he had naively stumbled upon a huge secret toward success and joy in this life.

Most people would say that the thing to be admired in this is that an eleven year old is thinking seriously enough about his future and potential career.  That gives him a "leg up" on his peers and shows that the likelihood for him to be successful is very high.  Now there may be some truth to this, but I believe the blessing and "success" is found in a different place.  We live in a world where people are always trying to take and wrestle control of their lives away from everyone else...including God.  But few people have the humility to acknowledge that they don't know what is best and that they are incapable of discerning for themselves what direction to take.  This is perceived as weakness and is looked down upon in our self-sufficient culture.

Yet utter dependence upon our Father in heaven brings us the greatest opportunity for fulfillment and joy in this life and in the life to come.  If those of us who claim to follow Jesus and are truly children of God actually stopped "working" and "trying" and "fixing", and instead quieted ourselves before our Father and asked the question, "Father, what do you want me to do?" and WAITED quietly for an answer...I am convinced that He would open up heaven and answer that question with great joy.  You see the goal is not the destination of "doing this" or "marrying this person" or "working here" or "building this", or "moving to this location", but rather our goal should be to desire the presence of our Father in the journey and process of getting there.  God tells us in His word the following promises:

"Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7)

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."  (Matthew 6:33)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths."  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I hope and pray that David never learns to "know better" and I better understand Jesus' words to us saying:

"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:3-4)

So today, or this week, or thus far this year...have you stopped and surrendered control to God and asked your loving and good Father what He might have you to do?  More than just an answer, which He says He will give, he is offering a deeper relationship and the joy and fulfillment of learning dependence upon Him.