"Finding Our Niche"

he main thing we do as young people is find our niche, our place in the greater scheme of life. It is a complicated process in today's world of so many choices. Our situation in life is sometimes chosen for us by the unique opportunities presented. Oftentimes it is a matter of following in the footsteps of a parent or friend. We all know persons who are the second and third generation car dealer, fireman, or doctor. Some folks seem to fall into fortune without much personal choice; however, most of us have had to struggle to seek our specially suited situation. This involves an enterprising exercise of our deliberation, determination, drive, willpower, resolve, purposefulness and zeal.

There was one dear friend who never left home, spending his entire life in the house in which he was born. He did have a job at the mill, and for a while had to commute to Atlanta, but he drove home every night and slept in the same bed. He was happy for he had determined early on that that was what God wanted him to do. Who are we to say that he was wrong? Can we say that he missed anything by not packing boxes and renting moving vans?

Theologically we talk in terms of finding God's will for our future. In our text for this Sunday morning we hear Paul saying that he is praying that the believers at Colossae might, "...be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Col. 1: 9, NRSV). Paul is of course not talking about generating wisdom from within, but waiting on Wisdom from above. Through prayer, reading God's Word, research, study, and listening to the advice of wise fellow Christians, we can eventually come to a point of knowing with certainty what God wants us to do with our lives: Peace and joy follow.

Paul is also writing to the Church at Colossae, the corporate entity of individual believers banded together. Churches have to seek and find God's providential will for their direction. It is like following a road without a map. We sometimes have to stop and rethink our direction. Sometimes the terrain changes. Along the way we might encounter a storm and have to put on snow tires.

Think on these things as we prepare to dig a little deeper this Sunday.