My Place in This World

The search is ongoing.

There is a song by the Christian artist Michael W. Smith. He’s a good singer, and the song was quite popular with church groups for a while. (You can hear it here.) The lyrics go like this:

Looking for a reason

Roaming through the night to find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Not a lot to lean on

I need your light to help me find

My place in this world

My place in this world

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

I’ve always believed that we should try in some way to help others, even while we try to get ahead. That doesn’t feel like a contradiction to me - I like the idea of doing well by doing good. In some ways this has been self-limiting; I couldn’t allow myself to just focus on making money without some higher goal. At the same time, I’ve felt underpaid (and under appreciated) in some (beneficial) activities. In other ways I’ve just been trying things out to see how they feel.

I keep looking for the one thing that I’m meant to do. This assumes several things, all of which may not be true:

1. There is some predetermined thing that I’m created to do.

2. There is only one thing that we are each meant to do.

3. We can’t change our best abilities by will or making them a priority.

4. There is a place where I will be comfortable remaining.

5. God has a defined plan for each of us.

In an old episode of Kung-Fu, Caine says, “He cannot see a place for himself in the world. Can you imagine any worse fear than that?”

Frederick Buechner wrote, “It turns out that it’s not easy to find … a vocation. Not everyone knows from the time they were in the third grade that they want to be a doctor. The rest of us stumble along our paths, testing things out, and making changes as needed.”

Finding the place that feels right is hard work indeed, and some never experience it. Instead they do what they must to survive. I think it is these folks who “live a life of quiet desperation,” and who may be most vulnerable to the next talented charlatan or con man. This may help to explain why so many are quick to believe that an election is stolen or that the world is simply stacked against them.

So far in my life I’ve made several major shifts in vocation. Each one has been a small step toward something that felt better, and they have built on each other. I’ve since experienced the feeling that “Yes, this is where I was meant to be.” But then something happens, and there is a shift. Moving in a slightly different direction begins to make sense.

I’ve talked to lots of people who are looking for a sense of direction. They want to be struck all at once, like lightning, with the perfect idea for them. I don’t think it generally works that way. My advice is to try things, and move on if it doesn’t feel right. There is always the next thing to try, and it may be just right.