“So what are you planning to do after you graduate?”
That question. It’s everywhere.
They’re just being nice, but it’s still hard.
What are you supposed to say? Even if you know sort of what you’ll be doing, it’s not like you have your whole life figured out.
Or, well, maybe you do. I don’t know. Wherever you are in life, I’m hoping this article will help you while you’re still making plans.
What To Do When Have No Idea
If you’re like me and have no idea what the next year will involve, I want to encourage you to keep working and looking for a place to serve. And if you’re one of those people who has an organized spreadsheet for the next decade, this is for you too.
Whoever you are, I’m going to ask you to sacrifice. To give up your dreams and your time and your stuff. To take your plans and put them in submission to Christ.
Look how He commands His disciples at the end of Matthew — this is for all of us:
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘Behold, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age'” (Matthew 28:16-20).
This should be woven into the very fabric of your plans.
So let me ask you, will you take this command seriously? Will you be part of His mission? Or will you openly disobey the One who has all authority?
Should Everyone Be a Missionary?
Not everyone reading this is supposed to be a missionary, I get that. But why not try and let God stop you? Why not pick a degree with missions in mind? And if you stay, hold the rope so others can go?
There are still over 2 billion people who have zero access to the gospel, we can’t be okay with that.
We can’t sit back and live normal lives when this is true.
The harvest is ripe, the workers are few (Matt. 9:35-38) — would you consider being one of them?
Maybe earn a pilot’s license so you’ll be ready to fly medicine to field workers in remote parts of Indonesia.
Find a job to work with Chinese Muslims and share the good news with coworkers who’ve never heard.
Become an engineer and speak the gospel as you build skyscrapers in Dubai.
Go to bible school and study theology so you can help train local pastors in South East Asia.
Get an EMT, and then work in an ambulance in an area ravaged by ISIS.
Learn to teach English and reach out to college students in Japan.
Or maybe you should stay and get a fancy degree so you can make a bunch of money. Then you should die to it, give sacrificially so others can stay on the field.
I don’t know what you’ll end up doing, but please, don’t waste it. Do it for the glory of Jesus, and the spread of His gospel. Live for the mission — whether you go or send.
Will it be hard? Definitely. But God said He’s with us, and His grace will be sufficient even on the hardest days.
Will it cost us? Of course. But in light of eternity, there is no real sacrifice. We’re just trading those things for something better — the glory of Christ and the joy of those who’ll be saved.
Even if we lose everything, that’s enough to make it worthwhile.
God is bringing to Himself a people from every tongue and tribe, and He chooses to do it through ordinary believers sustained by grace. So let’s give whatever it takes to see that promise fulfilled.
You don’t need a call, you already have a verse.*
Jesus says “Go.”
So let’s do it.
Get the ball moving. Have those hard conversations with your family and church. Pray a lot. Read a lot. Get some training and then go.
“Behold I [Jesus] am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
*paraphrase of Jim Elliott’s famous quote.
Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section!
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I really like the call to mission work but I don’t understand what that has to do with picking a major. I’m not trying to trash your article so I’d love to see what you have to say 🙂
I think the point was that if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, choose something that you can use for mission work and pursue being a missionary. The title is a tiny bit misleading, but it is related.
Ok, thanks. That’s helpful. I liked the article but I was pretty confused – as always.
I think also the point is that the Great Commission is a command for all believers. Not that we are called to be “missionaries” in a modern sense of the word, but as followers of Christ we are each called to share His gospel and be image bearers for Him WHEREVER we are in life. So in whatever major we choose, use it to glorify Him and spread His glorious truth.
🙂
“Faye C’Naim” haha that’s very creative =P
Wow my pastor was just speaking about that verse at church yesterday and telling us to go! It’s not just for pastors and preachers to spread the word. It’s for all of us to go out and spread the gospel to every creature! This is so inspiring!! Thank you!
Inspiring. So true. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the encouragement. Missions has been on my heart and mind since I was very young. I have been trying to decide on a major for several months now and this is a very good reminder to keep in mind. God bless you as you serve Him!
Love this girl!
I love that people are actually doing these things 😀
Good Article!