A Beautifully Sad World
Do you ever sit and ponder what the bigger plan is for your life? What you will do ten years from now? I had an interesting moment at work a few weeks ago. We have a new purchasing manager, and he scheduled a half hour to sit down with everyone in his department to talk and learn about their jobs. During my half hour sit-down with "big tuna" or Jim (the office watchers will understand that) he asked me what my career outlook was at Pratt. I felt kind of funny telling my new boss this, but I told him "in all honesty this is not my career." Now it's always hard to tell your employer that you don't really plan on making a career out of the job that they have given you, but I figured I should just be honest. I did quickly tell him that the fact that I was not going to make this my career didn't mean I was not going to work hard and make the largest impact I can. Big tuna asked me what I do plan to do with my life. I have been pondering this question a lot lately. Most of you know that I was going to move to Boston to take a job with a non-profit humanitarian organization. Well this is still the kind of work that I most want to do. I feel like God has really placed it on my heart to try to make a difference in the world. There is so much suffering and dispair in the world. I feel like the job I currently have was given to me very deliberately. I have a great opportunity to take care of school debt that I have, and get myself to a position in my life where I can take that step out to take a chance to make a difference. What do I hope to do? I hope that I can, in five years, find a position within a Christian non-profit humanitarian aide organization. I hope that I can work within the administrative portion of the org by traveling to analyze situations around the world, and working in fund-raising. The place I hope to touch the most is the continent of Africa. I don't know of many places as sad as that part of the world. It is amazing to me how a place of such beauty and natural diversity can be so full of suffering. I know that God has not planned for me to sit in an office dealing in aircraft engine parts, but this is where He has lead me so far. I am starting to feel the urge to make that move, but I wait and watch for His direction. I hope that in five years I can be updating you on the incredible things God is doing in my life as I travel the world spreading hope to a people that seem all too lost. That is my thought today...I hope you will all hold me to my hopes and plans!! Until next time...look to Him for inspiration in all that you do.
posted by Eric @ 9:19 PM
2 Comments:
eric. great post--i struggle with the same things--WHAT DOES GOD WANT FOR MY LIFE?! crazy...but its awesome that you have a heart for the people suffering in africa--its good to know there are people out there that are concerned with the poor (aka God's concern).
You'll be great at that, and you have a good perspective on "where you are right now." If you ever get to visit with him again, I'd stress that you hope to gain as much experience about your company as possible and (as you said) be the best employee you can be. I worked for Ford through college and one day my foreman asked me to "stay on" and make a career out of it. He said, "Tom, You're making twice the money here that you'll ever make in as a teacher." and without thinking I said, "but I don't want to work here all my life." I said it to a man who had done just that. Oops.
He later came up to me and said, "You're doing the right thing. You'd be a great teacher, and a teacher shouldn't be in a plant all his life." It was a gracious response to my tactless honesty.
You know what I'm trying to say... Every day you're there, you want them to see the kind of guy they can be proud to someday "send off" to the job of your dreams. They will respect you and the choice when the time comes.
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