Torch, Fall 1983

10 what we learn in our daily living, we become the persons we need to be to make the decisions we should make . God uses His Word to shape us as deciders . STEWARDSHIP OF LIFE A stewardship approach to career choice forces us to recognize that God has been active in our lives , continually developing us according to His plan . Our task is to inventory what He has done and use it ~ppropriately. Self-examination should probably include at least the following: Abilities/limitations: what we can or cannot do well. Interests: what attract our attention and excite our curiosity . Personality traits: what distinctive aspects of our emotional, mental , and social development characterize us as individuals . Desires: what we strongly want. Experiences: what we have encountered in work school , church , hobbies , etc., that distinguish us as individuals. Significant persons : what influences we have received from those most important in shaping our lives, and insights from those who know us well. Sex-role concept: what being male or female means in determining our options. Spiritual gifts: what abilities we have discovered through service in church ministries . Personal values : what we determine is important to us. Since God is orderly , His development of our lives in the past has relationship to what He wants from us in the present and the future . Faithful stewardship therefore requires knowledge of oneself. Can we consciously honor God with abilities, interests, values , etc., which we do not know we have? Can we truly acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives without knowing what in our lives can be used to His glory? Self-knowledge does not replace prayer, Bible study , or a submissive spirit. Rather, it works in concert with these disciplines to give concrete, practical expression to our allegiance to Christ. Self-examination must be very specific to be most profitable. Examination of past work experiences, for instance, may highlight numerous specific abilities otherwise overlooked. Insight from godly acquaintances may offer significant benefit. The many books available on career planning usually include exercises for clarifying important personal assets. The more we know of God's pattern in our life development, the better our stewardship responses can be. Such self-examination, however, is frequently bypassed because it is both difficult and profoundly unspectacular . We may earnestly pray for direction from God while overlooking the direction He is already giving through His daily development of our lives. Ironically , the more we ask God for special guidance, the more we condition ourselves to look for the unusual , and the less faithful we become as stewards. If w~ accept by faith the truth that God is leading us , we will pray less for guidance and more for insight and wisdom. But what of those who testify of sudden insight or overwhelming peace leading them to their choices? The fact ~hat our insight or peace might occur onl y occasionally does not mean that God directs only occasionally. His.work in our lives is continual. Self-knowledge must be accompanied by an accurate understanding of the occupational world. Knowledge of the specific abilities required , interests excited , and values fulfilled in various vocations must inform the decision process. Most of us know very little about the thousands o_f careers currently pursued in our society , and we think even less of the future vocational complexion of our world . Such information and forecasts are readily available in any library or through interviews with persons already involved in related occupations. Developing a career literacy provides the background for knowing how personal traits can be combined into a God-honoring decision. A CONTINUING STEWARDSHIJ> A person is rare indeed who makes a single career decision and then pursues that choice without change to rettrement. Our rapidly changing society continually births new careers and buries obsolete ones. Vocational survival increasingly requires updating skills and assessing personal goals. Not only is society changing , but people are changing also. None of us , hopefully, are the same pers_ons we were five years ago. A growing , developing Chnst1an should be aware that his growth involves real changes which present new dimensions for stewardship . Christ taught that faithfully using our assets leads to exp&nded opportunities (Matthew 25 : 14- 30). Career changes , consequently , may be the logical outcome of personal growth. These changes , often viewed as threatening or as a mark of failure, could be God ' s reward of new opportunities for past faithfulness . STILL A CHOICE All the investigation and analysis involved in a stewardship decision does not mean it is less a decision. We may experience keenly the sense of risk involved in any major decision. The more we know about ourselves, the more options we realize we have. The choices do not become easier , but they become better. The more our decisions reflect the persons God has made us to be , the more we honor Him and consequently find personal fulfillment. Dr . Clark is Director of Counseling Services at Cedarville College. He is the author of numerous articles and two books, including Choosing Your Career: The Christian's Decision Manual.