There All Along: What Am I Supposed To Do With My Life?

The answer is simple though not necessarily easy. This isn’t because God has made it intentionally hard for humanity to fulfill its purpose, though. 

The choice our first parents made to act on their distrust in the Creator caused a great shift in the mechanics of existence. The very framework of reality changed from God’s perfect system of flesh and spirit united in will to a cancerous corruption of human nature, defined by the enmity between the flesh and the spirit. This “new” nature, a godless nature, says that our flesh will desire selfishly while our spirit yearns to walk in the way of the LORD.

There’s a lot more to study with a desire to understand the circum-Biblical context behind these types of life changing questions, but for the sake of balancing my heart with the average attention span, I’ll get right to what I would say the Bible’s answer to this question is. It’s cool because the answer forms a sort of loop:

• “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” –1 Peter 4:10

• “Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” –Proverbs 3:6

So first you analyze yourself and figure out what you’re good at and what impassions you. If that’s too hard, just ask yourself what’s easy for you that’s hard for others. I’m not just talking about any skill you have (though God can and will use those as well if you let Him). Think about the things that come naturally to you. Maybe you’re really good at thinking critically or have an empathetic heart. Perhaps you’re a gifted artist or even just good at communicating.

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” –1 Peter 4:11

That “strength and energy” our Father supplies can come in the form of passions and dreams even if our talents are dormant, spurring us to develop them.

And if you’re stuck on how you’re supposed to use your gifts, you’ve got the second verse. Even if you’re completely lost as to what you’re good at (or the enemy is getting to you with dark whispers that you’re useless), then look at that second verse!

Seek His will and He will show you.

How do I seek His will? What does that even mean? Why would I even want to do that?

Whose will are you seeking right now? Your own? A celebrity’s or someone’s you follow on social media? What about a fictional character’s will or an author/guru’s? These questions start leading into a whole other study about idolatry, so I will refrain from digressing any further.

Point is, you seek the will of whom you trust the most. Due to what we discussed in the intro, it’s hard to trust God. It’s a part of our corrupted human nature to self-destruct and reject the very Source of life itself. But that’s not enough.

That’s why the devil incitingly tempts the flesh. He builds systems of generational (even cultural) trauma and toxicity in order that billions of us in our most formative years will be so broken that the image of God is either horrendously twisted or the wall we build to protect ourselves ends up just too high to climb. But even that’s not enough.

The LORD says, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” (Jeremiah 29:13). Doesn’t matter what the enemy, that devil Satan, whispers in your ear on that darkest night of the soul.

If you’ve tried looking for Him, but you feel like you’re just too deep, He says, “Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31a). 

When you’re going through hell and you just don’t know what to do anymore, His Word says, “Whosoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved!” (Romans 10:13).

But see, here we are again. It is an issue of trust. How do I trust in God? The Bible says that that’s the whole point of it all (Ecclesiastes 12:13), so how am I actually supposed to do that? If you’re a Christian who grew up in church, it’s going to sound cheesy and played out. It’s going to sound cliche, but that’s not to say that it’s not fundamentally and irrefutably true:

• Pray (talk to God honestly, building trust as you bare your heart to Him)

• Study the Bible (not just read, but study to understand aka “listen” to what He’s saying)

I’ll dive into all this stuff–including my tangents/teasers–individually at some point because this is the singularity at the center of everything.

So! What am I supposed to do with my life? Well, turns out the answer was there all along, right in the Word of our Father:

TL;DR

• Use your gifts to serve others

• Seek the Lord so you’ll know how/what to do

• Ultimately, we need to trust God

• How?

  • Pray (talk to Him)

  • Study the Bible (listen to Him)

May His will be done :) 

–Cristian