In today’s world, we often hear phrases like “follow your passion” or “find God’s purpose for your life.” Yet for many professionals, the real struggle is not discovering a purpose but learning how to live it within the boundaries of a career. Some fields easily connect with acts of service or ministry, while others seem detached from spiritual life. How, then, can a person remain faithful to God’s calling while pursuing professional success? Do we have to keep career and purpose separate—or can they move together toward the same destination?
To explore this question, I’m asking you to imagine your life as a train journey. You are the driver of your own wagon, facing daily decisions about direction and movement. At every station, new routes open before you, and the challenge lies in choosing the one that aligns both with your professional goals and your spiritual purpose.
Let’s take a look at your wagon. If you are the driver, you’ll need your toolkit for possible accidents along the route, for the unexpected, for life in its most unpredictable form. Your toolkit is your career, or perhaps your many careers. Your career provides you with the tools to solve problems in your life. On the other hand, your sense of direction is what people commonly call purpose. Your purpose answers the question: What do you live for?
A career does not—and should not—define you. It is simply one of the tools on your path toward your never-ending destination: your purpose. Yes, never-ending! The discovery of your full potential and ultimate purpose lies in God’s heart, and your life’s task is to uncover it as you walk in His sight. Let me give you some examples of how this works. Think about Moses, for instance, who realized his purpose was with God’s people when he left Egypt at 40. Yet even then, he didn’t know what his greater purpose would be until God called him at 80, while he was a shepherd wandering around Mount Sinai. And that’s not all—he thought his dream would be fulfilled if he just crossed the Jordan River with Israel, but no! He died and was then resurrected. He would have never guessed that one day he and Elijah would appear to the Messiah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just as the Bible says, God’s thoughts are higher than human thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). He has plans for you that you cannot even imagine (1 Cor. 2:9), and your purpose in life is being revealed to you as you walk in faith.
The train departs as you dream of your next stop. You assume that’s all there is, but when you arrive, you realize there are other possible destinations beyond that station. Then you ask yourself where to go next and why. Both questions awaken your sense of purpose once more. Take your map with you—your worldview of life. For Christians, this map comes from the Bible. This worldview is essentially your philosophy of how life works, and it will provide you with a sense of direction and purpose. Then, consider every possible route to your goals. Each route has a cost, and you need to calculate the benefits and risks of each path.
As the famous poet T. S. Eliot wrote in his preface to “Transit of Venus: Poems” by Harry Crosby, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out just how far one can go.” This means that the adventure of pursuing far-reaching goals will inevitably involve risks—so be aware of which goal is truly worth the price you will pay. Pursuing your path forward ignites the flame of faith within you. As you move ahead, that flame will burn ever brighter.
Is there a set number of careers you can take? No. Besides the Ten Commandments, nothing is set in stone. You must explore and discover. Sometimes a screwdriver can also serve as a nail, a small bridge, or a drill! The same thing happens with careers. The labels “engineer,” “nurse,” “accountant,” or “pilot” are just small parts of your greater purpose in life. Own them, but don’t let those labels define or stagnate you forever. For example, if your career is that of a doctor, one of your life purposes may be to help people enhance their overall well-being. Later, if you decide to add another career, such as psychology, to reach this goal, then you will be broadening your skills to accomplish your purpose in life.
Sometimes, a particular stop—a moment in your career when you need to rethink—will be only temporary, a post that prepares you for the next one. Your initial career will be your first vehicle for reaching your first destination. Once you arrive, you’ll examine your vehicle and decide if it’s still fit for the next trip. Perhaps it only needs new tires, a redesign or maybe you’ll need a completely new one because the next stage will require different skills, a longer journey or a more challenging path.
The art of redesigning oneself as one travels through life is crucial to success. It means adapting to circumstances and staying open to challenges. You must be aware that your career needs to be adaptable, flexible and versatile. In this way, you can maintain balance between your career and your purpose. Some people make their career their purpose, and this ultimately traps them in a box. But if you envision a higher purpose that is always growing, then every career you pursue becomes part of the greater journey toward your ultimate destination. There should be no dissonance between your career and your purpose, as long as you don’t confuse the two.
If you feel insecurity or doubt at this point—that’s good! It simply means you are becoming aware of the awe and magnitude of your journey. And that awareness will keep your eyes open, alert, and conscious.
I’ll finish with this: put your career and your current understanding of your life’s purpose before the Lord, and ask Him to guide you through the process. As the Bible says: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” (Psalm 37:5)
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.