Mice and Men

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" I never liked that question as a child because I never thought of having a job as being something that anyone wanted to do. I wanted to play center field for the Cincinnati Reds, or be a fighter pilot, or herd cattle in the Old West. But since that wasn't going to happen, I had no idea how to answer the question. It always seemed to me like such a grave matter, a question with such finality that if you answered the question, your fate was sealed and your destiny was fixed. Once you started down that road, you could never turn back.

But often in our lives, even if we know what we want to do, the best laid plans go awry. Life doesn't always turn out like you hope. Proverbs 20:24 says, "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" The Christian must always live for the glory of God and commit our ways to the Saviour, and trust in his providence. We can plan, but since our steps are of the Lord and our goings are ordained by God, we can't really correctly predict how our life is going to turn out.

I read of a man who was most likely asked to leave the military because he had a drinking problem. His plan was to retire as an officer, but now out of military life, he was directionless and just couldn't seem to get his life in gear. To support his family, he started selling firewood on the street corner. His life certainly wasn't going the way he planned. Through a series of events totally out of his control and a helping hand from an acquaintance, he was given another shot in the Army. This time he did better and worked his way up the ladder. His name was Ulysses S. Grant and he eventually served as the 18th president of the United States.

Living with the understanding that our goings are of the Lord comforts the soul when life seems spiraling out of control, because in reality, God is in directs our lives. Especially when life is hard and we don't understand. Work to achieve your goals in life, but learn to roll with the punches. This truth gives us direction, as we should be more concerned with our the state of our soul. Our plans change, our lives may be drastically different from our plan, but the Lord never changes. No matter what state we find ourselves in, we can still live for God's glory. The answer to "what do you want to be when you grow up," is, for God's people, "I want to be holy, as my Father is holy. I want to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I want to be wise, understanding the will of the Lord. I want to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer."