Lessons From My GPS
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. —Proverbs 3:5–8
A headline in the April 23, 2012 edition of The Atlantic recently grabbed my attention: 53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed — How? Think about how alarming that statistic really is — more than half of all college students are graduating only to find there isn’t a job in their chosen field waiting for them. After four years of study, many have to set aside their plans to pursue their dreams, settling instead for flipping hamburgers, selling coffee or sweeping floors.
There’s nothing wrong with those tasks. In fact, I believe much can be learned by engaging in manual labor. Whether you’re reading this as one of those “under-employed” recent college grads or you’re a seasoned professional who has been forced to deliver pizza or stock supermarket shelves, I’m here to tell you that the path you’re on is part of God’s plan for your life. Let me illustrate with a personal example.
When I lost my job as a “big-time” executive, I had to humble myself and take whatever I could find to do just to keep some income coming in. That included freelancing as a locksmith for a very gracious brother from church. My task typically consisted of assisting people who had locked themselves out of their car. One particularly busy day I was on a roll with 14 calls in a 12-hour period. Those calls had me zigzagging from one end of the county to the other to rescue stranded drivers.
I recall thinking about the many times I passed by the same landmarks. I wondered why that person or this person couldn’t have locked themselves out just 40 minutes earlier when I was in their area! I began to retrace my routes in my mind and realized what a maze of turns and curves and overlaps had occurred throughout my travels. It was a MapQuest nightmare!
When I read the words in Proverbs 3:6 about how the Lord "will make your paths straight," I was reminded of the haphazard route I had to take while working as a locksmith on that crazy, busy day — which, in turn, prompted me to think about my career path. Specifically, I reflected on how often I have worked at a job in which I had no idea how that role would fit into my future. As I reviewed my experiences in light of this verse, I realized that my assortment of jobs was not a maze of uncharted destinations. In fact, every bit of experience I have accumulated, in many different fields, I am using today. I have to believe that every job you have had has helped to mold you too.
You and I are a MapQuest trip “in process.” If you look closely, you can see how the Lord has mapped out your life and how seemingly unrelated job experiences really do fit together to formulate the Lord’s plan for you. The experiences of your life and career actually do make sense — you just might not see the big picture at the moment. Unfortunately, that’s because you and I are not privy to the directions beyond this very minute.
Although we still want to ask when this part of the journey will be over, and we still long to know where we will end up with our career, we can rest assured that God has a perfect plan for us. He will make your paths straight if you trust in him rather than in yourself. Why not take some time right now and look back over your road map? Isn’t it amazing how the Lord has worked, in all things, for your good? If you don’t see the straight road just yet, don’t worry. With his guidance, you will see how the road behind is part of the road ahead.
This seven-day devotional is drawn from Why Did I Lose My Job If God Loves Me: Help and Hope for Those in Career Transition by Rick J. Pritikin.
