Friday, October 12, 2018

Hey Fletch … I’m a young millennial and working in a great job. The money is good, the business is fine and I’m learning a lot. Yet, I’m wondering how my life can have impact for God’s kingdom. What can I do to insure that in thirty years my life will have impact for God? 

DRF—I love that you want to make impact for God’s kingdom. That is right out of the gospels! The question is how and where to serve with the most impact. An article on Forbes notes about millennials:

“They have made it clear that social impact is not only a want, but a need in their potential employers. If millennials aren’t motivated by money on the job hunt, they are often aiming to make the world a better place by working for companies that are compassionate, innovative and sustainable.”

These are fantastic traits for any generation. The world needs more people who are actively bringing Christ to people’s needs.

A first step is to discover the gifts that God has given you. Great impact comes when you are using your gifts to serve others. You could quit your job now and work for a non-profit. The problem is that you may be trading one job for another that does not maximize your gifts. I’m thinking that you want impact with personal fulfillment.

While you are in your job, discover what your gifts and desires are. You may be gifted as an entrepreneur, a disciple-maker or organizational leader—the list is endless. To discover how God has wired you, you might work with internationals in your community to see the challenges of language, culture and doing ministry while working. This would give you a taste for cross-cultural ministry. Try other ministry areas to see your giftedness. Discover what areas are both exciting and use your God-given gifts. This process could take several years of trying and testing various areas of service.

What you don’t want to do is to put your career on auto-pilot and buy into the money-making syndrome. That will lead to years of 60 hour work weeks that may have great monetary impact, but leave you feeling less than satisfied.

At your age, you are just discovering where God might use your gifts and abilities. Enjoy the process. Keep your eye on where those things might be best used. Try lots of different ways to serve others.