From Jerry Sittser and his book “The Will of God as a Way of Life”:
The most important decisions we make in life concern our way of life—habits, convictions, and direction. Too often we act like parents who agonize for weeks over whether the family should camp for a week in Yosemite or frolic for a few days at Disneyland. We forget that the most important decision—to vacation as a family—has already been made. The agony we experience to discover God’s will can often be misplaced.
It is easy to miss the obvious. A couple may struggle for months over whether they should buy a ten-year-old home for $500,000 or build their dream house for $750,000, never once asking whether they should spend so much money in the first place. A man may wonder whether he should take a new job in Miami or stay in Kansas City, though the work he takes in either place will make it difficult to be attentive to his family and active in a local church. Could our quest to discover the will of God be taking us in the wrong direction?
We can always do the will of God as we know it in the present moment, however confused we are about the future. We can study hard, even though we may be unsure about our vocational direction. We can solve problems now that will equip us to solve bigger ones later on. We can meet needs that will prepare us for new opportunities in the future that might involve a great deal more responsibility. The simple commitments of every day life lay a foundation for what is to come. The more diligent and faithful we are now, the greater our capacity to do the will of God later on.
Take marriage. Whether we choose to marry or whom we choose to marry matters less than how we build lasting friendships, long before we consider marriage. Many marriages fail not because people choose to marry someone “outside the will of God” but they did not learn how to love before marriage became a possibility. The basic question to ask is: “Am I capable of loving another human being until death do us part?
Or take a career, The career we choose to pursue matters less than the little things we do every day that prepare us for it. The world will always need disciplined people, virtuous people, wise people. I teach at a Christian liberals arts college because I believe such a college lays a sturdy foundation for students. It provides them with a broad education that will be applicable no matter what they end up doing. Most students who graduate today will not stay in one profession for a lifetime. If colleges prepare them for one specific job, their education falls short. But if a college lays a solid foundation of knowledge, skills, habits and convictions, students will be ready for almost anything. ~Jerry Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, 2000, 2004) p.85-87
