What do you do when you feel restless at work, eager to go somewhere new, or just eager to leave where you are, but you don’t see anything else on the horizon?
How should you respond when you think God may be calling you into a different career or a new role, but you don’t yet know what it could be?
1. Pray for discernment.
Jeremiah warned that “the heart is deceitful above all things… who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We need Scripture’s teaching, the Holy Spirit’s leading, and the wisdom God promises to give to those who ask (James 1:5) in order to discern the true causes of our restlessness.
There could be sources of your discontent that aren’t necessarily God calling you to change careers. Maybe you have an unresolved conflict with a coworker, and God is calling us not to evade but to reconcile. Maybe you are discouraged over a harvest you were hoping for, but haven’t yet seen, and God is calling you to be patient and faithful. Maybe you are falling into the trap of thinking God only really uses those who work for a church or ministry in His Kingdom purposes – and God is calling you to believe that you can glorify Him in any and all work to which you set your hand (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:23).
But there could also be a stirring God is using to turn your eyes and heart toward a new assignment. Maybe you are convicted about your current work of furthering a product or movement that contradicts God’s good design for His people. Maybe you desire to better apply the talents God has given you towards work you feel more uniquely equipped and suited for. Maybe you cannot shake the draw to a specific ministry, company, mission, or idea, and are also at peace about handing off your current work to someone new.
Pray for discernment to distinguish between the Spirit’s promptings to move and the flesh’s temptation to flee. God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). While your heart may try to deceive you, God won’t. Surely He longs for you to hear and heed His callings even more than you do, and He can help us do so as you turn to Him in prayer.
2. Invite wise counsel.
One of the most helpful ways God can usher in the discernment you seek is through the godly wisdom of trustworthy counselors who know you well. Ask those who love you deeply but love God most to help you examine your motives, desires, and considerations. Ask them to identify or affirm how God has gifted you and how that could be applied best in your work. Ask them to share any insight they have into the new roles you’re considering or any blind spots they believe you have as you think it all through.
No human’s advice is infallible, but in an abundance of counselors is victory (Proverbs 24:6).
3. Knock on doors.
When, after praying for discernment and seeking wise counsel, you feel affirmed in pursuing a change, start asking. Start seeking. Start knocking. Consider the roles or organizations you’ve been a part of in which you felt best used by Him and most effective at serving others. Humbly approach someone in a field or in a specific company or ministry that interests you with a desire to learn and even encourage. Keep a watchful eye on job boards for organizations with a mission you believe in. Seek to sharpen your skills, deepen your understanding, or develop your aptitude for the work you want to do.
Keep your eyes and mind open to what the Lord could be directing you into next, even if it looks a bit different than what you expected, or comes in unanticipated ways.
4. Be faithful as you wait.
In the meantime, as you work and wait, don’t neglect all that God has entrusted to your hands for as long as He has you where you are. Outside of the workplace, remember that God’s calling on your life includes providing for your family, loving your neighbors, serving your church, being generous to the needy, and seeking the welfare of your city. Within the workplace, be a faithful steward of the witness and influence you have as a believer in your workplace – in how you work, why you work, and the way you love, honor, and serve others along the way.
Remember that God may even be using your work today to prepare you best for what He is calling you into next. The lessons and skills you’re gaining right where you are could be a step in God’s path towards what He has for you next, as much as David’s time as a shepherd protecting his sheep from lions prepared him to be a shepherd king who would protect the flock of Israel from Goliath.
As you sift through your own desires, others’ advice, and the options in front of you, pray for the Lord to make your path straight as you trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6), and for the perseverance to finish the race He has set before you in your workplace today, however long it may last.
