It's a Puzzle: A 10-Day Devotional About... LifeSample

Day 3: There’s No Picture on the Box

Back in high school, I had no sweet clue what I wanted to do for a career after graduation. One thing I was sure of – I did NOT want to waste my life doing something I wasn’t supposed to do, so I asked God for help.

Ha! I wish. That would have been the wise thing to do. Instead, I asked our school guidance counselor for help. After all, he was getting paid to guide poor lost souls like me.

We scheduled a meeting, during which I explained how I needed some direction in my life and could he please help by showing me what I should be working toward.

He listened to my plight with an intent look, and when I finished speaking, he handed me an assessment test. I put serious thought into each answer, spurred on by the promise of finding my destiny, or at least my career path. I handed him my completed test, and he informed me we’d have the results sometime next week.

When we met the following week, I was pumped. I was about to get a head start on the job market competition since no one else visited our guidance counselor. He handed me an envelope. I quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and read the words that would forever change my life... “You are best suited for the occupation of Motor Vehicle Repair Coordinator.”

Huh?

“What does this mean? I’m supposed to walk around carrying a clipboard? That’s the perfect job for me???”

“Well... that’s what the results say,” he murmured.

I left his office confused, upset, frustrated, and angry. But I was asking someone who knew nothing about me to provide me with the next big piece of my puzzle. I was asking a stranger how I should direct my next steps in life.

Thankfully, I have had many jobs, none involving being a motor vehicle repair guy. That piece wouldn’t have fit my puzzle at all. Which God already knew.

If those test results back in high school had said I should be a Teacher’s Assistant, working with kids who need a little extra help at school when I’m in my fifties, I wouldn’t have believed that either. And yet, that’s my current job... and I love it!

Like a foot lamp, God has revealed to me only exactly as much as I have needed to walk, not run, each step of the way. Every job I’ve had has prepared me for and led me to the next. There’s no way I could have planned it on my own.

Jesus’ half-brother, James, makes me chuckle every time I read his words: “If any of you lacks wisdom...” Oh, yeah, that’s definitely me... every day. He continues, “you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Who are you asking for guidance when there’s no picture available?