Why? (or Why not?)

An outlet in Bolivia...  If only all of
life's decisions were so clearly marked!

One thing I’ve struggled to summarize for you who have asked is “Why” we are doing this.  In the end, it would be easier to explain how we overcame the reasons not to, than simply the drive to move forward.  Dana & I have gone through a long decision-making process, and it was good for us to do together, but there was never a moment when we simply knew this was the right thing to do.  Maybe it would help to share our basic understanding of following God’s will in our lives. 

While I believe God can and does work in unique ways, when it comes to a vocation or job, I don’t think He generally gives most of us a clear path to follow.  Rather, He has given us this amazing gift of “free will” and expects us to use that gift in making wise choices.  We have been repeatedly asked about this “calling” on our lives, and I have to admit, I’m not sure I would use that term.  I think God has placed in us a desire for adventure, a desire to have a lasting impact in our world, a desire to see our children raised in such a way as to expand their horizons, and a desire to constantly strive to better ourselves.  Ironically, at times, feeling the urge to pursue these desires has seemed very self-serving, and even an argument against moving forward with this.  After all, we didn’t want to be doing this simply for ourselves.  There’s nothing too “Godly” about doing something from selfish ambition…  So yes, we struggled with numerous circular arguments and philosophical debates.

Another couple serving in Bolivia.  We had a great conversation about
"Why?" and they had a totally different path to their decision, yet we are
so excited about arriving at the same conclusions and serving together!

In the end, we know that we will not be outside of God’s will for our lives in pursuing this opportunity to improve the world as we know it.  However, we truly believe we (and you are included in this!) can serve God right where we are.  In fact, that is one of the goals of Business As Mission: to chip away at the “secular-sacred” divide, and help people see how they can serve God with the skills they have, right in the workplace, just as effectively as if you decide to pursue “full time ministry.”  In fact, if you think about the realities of who a small business person interacts with throughout a week, compared to who a church pastor interacts with, I believe the small business person has more potential to impact non-Christians on a regular basis.

Bolivia... Even the terrain offers some challenges.

For most of us, I don’t think God insists on a specific career path, or the correct toothpaste.  Some things are left to us to figure out.  I don’t know what this means for you, but I do hope you are seeking to live a life that glorifies God.

This concept of finding “God’s will” for our lives has been tricky for many people I have talked to.  Not that this will have all the answers you are looking for, but if you are interested in learning more about this topic, our pastor did a great series on this last fall, and those teachings are available online here.  I hope you find them interesting and thought-provoking.

-Update: Our church updated their website after I posted this link, so if it didn't work for you, I have updated the link to direct you to the new website location.