Your Career -- A Means to an End

The pastoral staff squeezed into Nate Winters' office mid-morning one day in November to chat awhile with Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, prior to his presentation at a luncheon upstairs that drew about 90 business and other friends. 
 
As happens among Kingdom people, several from the staff had connections with Stearns.  He and Nate's father were members of a small group of Christians who gathered outside of Philadelphia years back.  Cathy Morgan happened to be visiting her sister-in-law 11 years ago, and the two of them attended the service commissioning Richard Stearns as head of World Vision. 

The discussion turned to a question about Richard's pivotal decision to leave the secure, lucrative corporate life for the overwhelming challenges of meeting the needs of the world's poor.  He responded with a story that sounded much like a parable.  

A decade after leaving Lenox, the fine china and tableware company he had successfully headed as CEO, Richard returned to reconnect with former colleagues.  They looked war-weary.  Since his departure, five CEOs had come and gone, they said, profits had plummeted, almost all U.S. plants were closed, layoffs ensued, and the company was eventually sold (and shortly after his visit, filed for bankruptcy). 
 
And there, Richard said, would I have gone but for the grace of God.  What seemed like a sure-bet future versus a high-risk calling by God to ministry was certainly not what it appeared to be.

The story continued.  When his colleagues asked him about his current job, he told them that he spent his days helping to feed the hungry and clothe the poor, all the time being supported by staff who cared for him and a Board who prayed for him.  What more could you want, he said? 

We asked Richard how he would advise business people who question whether they should stay in business, battle against the world's ways, and struggle to be a testimony for Christ, or use their talents in some full-time ministry.  The critical question to ask is, what is your calling, Richard replied?  What is it that God wants you to do with your life?  Once you understand your calling, your career should enable you to fulfill that calling.  Your career is a means to an end

And the backdrop of everyone's calling, Richard reminded us, should be the prayer of Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision: "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."