Things haven’t been going all that well at work lately. I’m just not feeling very happy and fulfilled about what I’m doing. This has got me thinking about what I want to be doing with my life, and I’m really not sure. That is a very scary thought for me!

During my rough last week at work, this was one of my daily devotions.

Is it really of God?

God’s leadings are always consistent with His Word. Always! He’ll never lead you to be unfaithful to your marriage partner, cheat on an examination, exaggerate to a customer, spread hurtful gossip, deceive your parents or your children, or do anything else forbidden by Scripture.

Furthermore, His leadings will always be consistent with the person He meant you to be. For example: if you love math and are naturally gifted with computers, why would you assume that God would lead you into music or theology? Or if you don’t come alive unless you’re in the great outdoors, why would you think He’d lead you to a downtown 9-5 office job on the 35th floor. Or if you’re not comfortable around children, why would you figure He’d lead you to become a schoolteacher? Get real! God’s leadings don’t contradict who He made you to be. He doesn’t create you with particular gifts, and then expect you to excel at something totally unrelated.

If you sense a leading that seems contrary to what God made you to be, test it carefully. Is God asking you to do this because at present there’s no one else to do it? Is He stretching you into new areas so that your faith will grow? Or is this not “a God idea” at all, but rather a distraction from the assignment He’s already given you? This is why John writes, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1Jn 4:1 NIV).

Wow, that really hit home with me! I’ve never really thought about things this way, but it makes so much sense. It both confirms that maybe I’m not where I need to be right now, but also shows me that not everything I’m interested in is what I should end up doing. Even though I love music, that doesn’t mean I should be a musician. I love the great outdoors, too, and have entertained the idea of being a park ranger. However, it seems one of my gifts is computers, so a park ranger is probably not where God wants me. I seem to have been gifted with writing back in high school and college, but haven’t done much of that since. Maybe I should revive that.

So where does this leave me right now? Who knows, but realizing this does help out with my current situation. I need to sit down and figure out what I like doing versus what I’m good at doing, then pray about where God wants me and what He wants me doing. As always, prayer is vital!