It might be the most dreaded question for the discerning high school student: What are your plans for your life after high school? Have you applied to colleges yet? Chosen a major? Filled out scholarship applications? Chosen your outfit for your first job interview?
You’re not even old enough to legally consume alcohol, yet somehow everyone expects you to have mapped out your entire future ?!
For the Christian student, questions like these come with an added stress—the stress of figuring out how to know God’s will for your life. You might even look in your Bible and find verses like this:
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble…
2 Peter 1:10
If you’re a high school junior or senior trying to choose a college—or a college student still scrambling to settle on a major—this verse might be the stuff of nightmares. You want to follow God’s plans for the future, right? What happens if you fail because you didn’t know what they were?
Does that make you a horrible Christian?
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
Life After High School: This Way or That?
I remember the struggle. I couldn’t decide between becoming a nurse-midwife or a piano teacher. Then I visited no less than five different universities and one tech college. You’d think having choices would be energizing, but in reality, my anxiety levels rose as I languished over each option. Even after I made my decision, I still paid many visits to the thorny woods of What Would’ve Happened If I’d Chosen The Other One?
So I did what every good Christian teen does. I prayed: God, what do you want me to do? Show me the way!
He never really answered that question, and it wasn’t until years later that I realized why.
Discovering the Myth
No verses in the Bible tell you whether you should attend a local tech college or a four-year university; whether you should major in engineering or accounting; whether you should pursue work as a midwife or a piano teacher. God is certainly capable of speaking in your ear with an audible voice and telling you exactly what to do, but he rarely does it. And you can wait for him to send you a vision, but you might be waiting for a long time (possibly forever).
If you’re waiting for a strong nudge from God to send you in one direction or the other, and you’re not getting one, maybe it’s because he’s okay with either option.
Here’s the thing: If you’re waiting for a strong nudge from God to send you in one direction or the other, and you’re not getting one, maybe it’s because—are you ready for it?—he’s okay with either option.
The idea that God has a single path picked out for you and that making the wrong move will put you out of line with his will is an untruth. You can heave a big sigh of relief right now and know his love for you won’t change based on your after-high-school plans.
So how can you know God’s will for your life? Specifically, what is your calling and election?
The Critical Decision
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
God cares about where you go to college, what you major in, and how you choose to earn an income. But what he really wants is for you to live a life of holiness. Christians agonize over nonmoral choices, completely paralyzed by the possibility of choosing wrong—when there actually is no wrong choice.
The choice that matters is whether or not you will choose to serve him.
The choice that matters is whether or not you will choose to serve him. Will you give your whole trust to him and dedicate your life to him? Will you live as one set apart for him? This is the choice he wants you to make and everything else you do, including your career choices, should flow from that.Â
You can be assured you are following God’s will for your life after high school if you are doing that.
So what is a Christian to do when making a big career decision?
How To Know God’s Will For Your Life After High School
1. Seek him first.
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jesus speaking in Matthew 6:33
This verse comes near the end of Jesus’ discourse on why we are not to worry. He’s helping us get our priorities straight: Love the Lord with all your heart and soul above all else. If you seek him first and love him with everything you have inside you, you’re following his will whether you decide to attend college right after school or join the military; whether you major in Spanish or Philosophy.
God’s specific plan for you is for you to be one with him.
2. Seek wise counsel.
God’s specific plan for you is for you to be one with him.
I imagine you’ve already considered your own strengths, weaknesses, and talents, and maybe even tried out a few of those online aptitude tests. But don’t overlook the value of speaking with people who know you well. Your close friends and family might point out things you never thought of, like how patient you are with children or what a good speaker you are. They might also tell you a few things you don’t want to hear, like how you’re not very motivated or how disorganized you are. But be open because even their negative observations are valuable.
If they can’t imagine you in a particular field of work, it may very well be that you won’t like it there.
3. Look at your options with a Biblical eye.
A person can glorify God in almost any career. When considering your options, ask yourself: Is there anything about this field of work that would go against Biblical principles? A dancer can glorify God, but not as a stripper. A doctor can serve the Lord, but not in an abortion clinic. Make sure the path you’re considering doesn’t cross any moral boundaries.
A person can glorify God in almost any career.
And while you’re looking at Christian values, don’t forget about the responsibility you will have to financially provide for yourself (and possibly a family). Your parents should not have to support you for another decade while you wait for your acting career to take off. You don’t need to become a high-paying anesthesiologist or petroleum engineer to pay your bills and put food on the table. Just make certain you consider the financial side of your decisions.
Finally, consider what church you’ll attend. Are you considering a great college but can’t find a nearby Bible-believing church? (Not all are, even among churches that call themselves Christian.) Fellowship with other believers is not optional, so be sure to take this into account.
4. Pray
As with everything you do, pray about it. But instead of asking God to tell you what to do, ask him to help you see clearly. Pray for him to help you be honest with yourself and in your interviews. Ask for a heart saturated with Jesus and courage to override the fear or pride that might alter your decision-making.
5. Just do something!
No need to over-spiritualize your decision. At this point, you’ve eliminated ungodly options and anything that isn’t a good fit. You’ve sought His counsel and wise human counsel. Now make your decision and go for it!Â
One of the biggest mistakes Christians make in choosing a career is to assume the only jobs that serve God are ones in the mission field.
Don’t assume the only jobs that serve God are in the mission field. Yes, becoming a missionary or a teacher in a Christian school is a noble task. But God also needs reliable carpenters, honest business owners, hardworking waitresses, and Christian teachers in public schools.
You enter the mission field every morning when you get out of bed. Pick something, and do it for him!
But what if…
Still looking for complete assurance that everything will turn out and nothing will go wrong?
Life on earth isn’t always fun and fulfilling, and things sometimes go wrong even when we’ve made all the right choices. Samson had a pagan temple fall on him. David spent a long time running from his father-in-law. Job lost his children and everything he owned.
Jesus was crucified while following his Father’s will!
Things sometimes go wrong even when we’ve made all the right choices.
If you expect your life on earth to resemble heaven, you’ll be disappointed. But if you go about your earthly life remembering that you’re a stranger passing through a hostile land, you might realize pain and failure are not the catastrophes you once thought they were. (See my post Dear Christian Teen, Never Be Afraid of Bad News.)
A disastrous career is not a sign you were out of line with God’s will. It’s simply a reminder that your greatest pleasure and fulfillment are found elsewhere. Seek him first and desire him as the ultimate source of pleasure.
That’s how you can know God’s will for your life after high school. Enjoy the blessing of choice!
How to Know God’s Will For Your Life: Further Resources
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
Kevin DeYoung’s book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will can help you navigate all the big decisions, from careers and jobs to choosing a marriage partner to moving across the country. Through this entertaining read, Christian young adults will learn to rethink how they make decisions and what they expect of God.
Also, check out the entire section of 2 Peter 1:3-11, where our starting verse came from.
Great article, Lauren. I like how you break it down into simple and life applicable steps. It is good advice for all ages. God bless.
Thank you! I wish I had read the referenced book when I was a teenager, and applied it to every decision I since then. It has changed the way I pray about important decisions.
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