Career Advice

Spring approaches with the ending of the week. At this time of the year, as another significant event comes closer for many high school and college seniors, we often take the time to give or seek career advice. Why do we need so much career advice? Most of us can remember how smart we thought we were as high school seniors and how so very certain we were that fame, fortune, or at least a good paycheck awaited us forever and ever, amen. Some very few made the right choice - at least as much as they will ever admit - and never looked back from the career path they set for themselves those many years ago. Some others of us must admit somewhere down the road that we didn't really know a thing about the field we chose and broadcast to the never ending queries, "So, what are you going to do?" Years later, we may still be wondering what the answer is to that particular question.

What career advice does the Word give to us? Remarkable silence. No 1st Century equivalent of the colored parachute? Sorry, there doesn't seem to be a career guide in the Bible. It would surely seem that something so important and that takes up so much of our time would be addressed, but no. John the Baptist gives some advice to people who already had careers. Jesus takes up a new career and then pulls twelve fellows out of their current occupations, but career changes and selections are fairly uncommon. What about that Joseph fellow?

Yes, you could say that Joseph had a major career change: Teenage Joseph went from Daddy's favorite boy, messenger, sometime herdsman, and occasional spy, to slave, steward, and CEO of Egypt, Inc. But at no point did he get to choose which way he would go. David probably thought his career was to watch sheep with occasional chances to be a soldier. Then Samuel showed up one day and anointed him king of Israel. No choice, you're it, young fella! And...we've broached a subject that is just too big for one little devotional.

One bit of career advice Jesus gave goes something like this, "Come, follow Me!" But what does that mean in regard to my career choice?

Bucky