It’s Beginning to Make Sense: College, Calling, and Career

When I first stepped foot onto Gordon College’s campus, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of who I was and what I was going to do after college. But after four years of challenging professors, culture-shocking journeys, and the influence of mentors and friends, I find myself humbled by what I still have left to learn about myself and God’s plan for my future. It is only now, with six months left until graduation, that things are beginning to make sense.

As my senior year unfolds, I look around at those who have internships, work studies, and student teaching roles. Their majors have set them up for specific jobs and they can’t wait to get started.

I, on the other hand, have a broad major (Sociology) and two minors that I picked up for kicks (Bible and Communications). What kind of internships are there for that kind of combo?

No, I am not as certain about what the future holds. The thought of focusing on a particular area seems daunting and, frankly, not particularly compelling. Yet through my many classes, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the immensity of the world that God wants me to explore and understand. For instance, a politics class was instrumental in shaping my political beliefs despite the flaws of both parties. A semester abroad in Scotland challenged me to engage with peers regardless of their religious background. Even as I work through the last theory classes of my major, I’ve gained perspective on how the words of white, western European communists are important for Christians to talk about and learn from.

What I have studied may not set me up cleanly for a specific vocation right out of school. I’m okay with that because it has done infinitely more. Sociology, broadly, has shown me the complexities of society. It has helped diagnose some of the problems that I previously overlooked while also instilling in me a desire to seek a remedy. And though I’m not planning to become a Sociologist, per se, I have come to better understand human behavior, realizing our constant need for social justice and redemption.

Over these four years, my eyes have been slowly adjusting to the Kingdom at hand. As light illuminates the contents of a darkened room, so it has been with me. I’m seeing what needs to be done.

We are responsible for what happens on this earth. The renewing that Christ did and is still doing has everything to do with you and me and our roles in his creation. God’s creation. Whether it’s a school teacher, a basketball coach, a business man, or a missionary, God has called us to be active in his kingdom. By grace, we are called, as author Steve Garber puts it so clearly, "to sing songs of the truest truth of the universe in a language the world will understand."

I graduate in May, and I have yet to realize the exact song I am supposed to sing. But the closer I get to commencement, the more I realize it is a song I must sing. With all of my heart. Since the Lord cares about redeeming every inch of his creation, it only makes sense to take part through the vocations he calls us to. I am still uncertain about my own vocation, yet ever certain that I am to proclaim the truest truth wherever I end up.