Interview with Colin Creel, author of Perspectives: A Life Guide for Twentysomethings and Crossroads: Navigating Your Calling and Career,
Worship.com: Let’s talk about your new book. What age group did you write it for, and why should they read it?
Colin Creel: Crossroads was written primarily for individuals in their twenties and thirties, but has been very well received in older groups as well. Anyone who is beginning their career, reassessing their career or longing to live a fulfilling life will find this book useful. I hope to pose questions that help individuals enter into the conversation of calling and career.
WC: What’s most important in making a career choice: earning potential, passion, or giftedness? Or something else?
CC: Like all decisions, choosing one’s career is difficult to make in a vacuum. Each person’s personal situation would inevitably affect the answer to this question, but under normal circumstances each person should assess what they enjoy doing, what others say they are good at, and what doors open.
WC: There’s been a considerable amount of discussion over the past couple of years about “adultesence,” a phenomenon where teenagers aren’t growing up, assuming responsibilities and getting jobs but instead are living at home through their thirties, jumping around from menial job to menial job, and avoiding the responsibilities of adulthood. Have you seen much of this in your work, and if so, how much of that do you think could be attributed to a lack of understanding and teaching about biblical calling and purpose?
CC: This is an interesting phenomenon that affects my generation. Studies suggest we are the first generation who will make less than our parents. Often, the onus here is on the parents who allow their grown children to live with them rather than on an unclear sense of purpose. These adult children take advantage of their parents’ generosity and parents stifle their child’s development. Many adult children fall back on the notion, “I am finding myself.” Personal exploration is very important, but not at the expense of others. My peers who have lived with their parents did so on a temporary basis in order to save money for some grander endeavor. They had a detailed plan and a specified time frame in mind. I firmly believe individuals should enjoy their jobs, but oftentimes necessity demands we work to supply basic needs for ourselves or those entrusted to us.
WC: You spend some time in your book talking about vocational calling. At what age should a young person begin to try to consider what God’s vocational calling might be on their life?
CC: The imprint of calling is often visible even in childhood. The calling will manifest itself in a variety of forms over the years, but the signs are evident at a young age. For most individuals though, late in high school and college typically serve as the catalyst for serious exploration. As individuals gain a clearer picture of who they are in Christ, calling becomes more evident.
WC: Is is possible to figure out a lifetime calling at a young age? Or might God call someone through a series of vocations and steps in life to prepare for different callings at various stages of life?
CC: Yes and yes. Each person’s journey will vary. Much like many areas of life, some individuals will know God’s calling immediately whereas others will journey the long road of exploration. God desires a person of obedience. Through our obedience, the Lord will reveal His plan for our lives; “He guides the humble [obedient] in what is right and teaches them in his way” (Psalms 25:9). Look at Joseph’s life for example. God directed Joseph through a series of adventures so that he would be ready to fulfill his ultimate calling. Or in the case of young Samuel, his obedience was apparent at a very young age when God spoke to him in an audible voice. Samuel declared, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10). God desires obedience and a willingness to serve him regardless of whether it always makes sense in the eyes of the world. Each person’s journey will differ, but above all God desires an obedient heart.
WC: What would your advice be to young people who aren’t seriously considering what God wants them to do with their lives and are just coasting through school or life with no real goals or direction?
CC: We will all be held accountable for our actions. God has placed us here as stewards of this earth. Each of us has a role. Oftentimes looking backwards helps us discern our future, so looking back at our childhood may offer direction. As I assessed all of the activities I particularly enjoyed during my childhood, all of them pointed back to this idea of creating. I love to fulfill a God-inspired vision. Do not limit yourself to a specified job necessarily. Focus instead on your skills. Many skills that you enjoy are transferable in a wide array of fields.
WC: Let’s go to the flip-side of that question: What would your advice be to young people who ARE seriously considering what God wants them to do–so much so that they might be paralyzed with fear that if they take a misstep they could “miss God’s will” and totally ruin their life by taking the wrong job, choosing the wrong major, or marrying the wrong person?
CC: In my experience, I have seen this situation much more so than the previous question. We are in a society that preaches perfectionism so loudly that generations of people are afraid to fail. Generations of people are afraid to risk. Jonas Salk failed two hundred times before he found the cure to polio. Did he fail? A reporter once asked Winston Churchill what prepared him to lead a great nation. Mr. Churchill replied that he repeated a year in grade school. The reporter responded, “You mean, you failed?” “I never failed anything in my life, rather I was given another opportunity to get it right,” Churchill responded. Our perspective on events is very important when addressing fear. Where does your trust reside? Do you trust that the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you” (Jer 29:11). I once heard a pastor say we can only be 80-90% confident in our decisions; it’s only retrospectively that we are able to say with 100% certainty of the way God led us through our decisions. Life is an adventure to be lived, not merely endured. Relax and enjoy the ride.
WC: Going back to the topic of identifying vocational calling: without question it is important to understand your temperament and personality while evaluating what your skills and talents are. In modern day America we have all been given influence, opportunities, and choices that enable us to leverage out interests and passions more than ever before in history. We have more to steward than perhaps our ancestors did who had limited choices vocationally. At the same time it seems in the Bible that often God called people into their weaknesses rather than their strengths. For example, John Piper writes in Future Grace that he had a tremendous fear of speaking in public when he was in high school, yet today he is one of the most gifted, passionate Christian speakers, often addressing thousands of college students in huge settings. Someone might have advised him at that point in his youth to consider a vocational calling that did not involve public speaking, but he was convinced he needed to overcome his anxieties in order to be fully used of God. How does one go about determining whether a particular attribute or inclination represents a God-given temperament to be leveraged versus a sinful attitude, or fear—an idol if you will—that is to be repented of and fought against? Put another way: How do we balance our inclinations and feelings without retreating into comfort zones and unwittingly justifying the worship of the idol of comfort?
CC: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies those he calls. Do not fear. In my personal Bible study on fear it is intriguing that the terms fear and disobedience are often used interchangeably. It boils down to obedience. An obedient heart should not be fearful. In Crossroads, I tell the story of my friend, Joe. He felt very clearly that God had called him to be a pastor. His road was not an easy one and many times he questioned whether he heard God correctly. Roadblock after roadblock gave him pause, but through those roadblocks God taught Joe about himself and forced him to deal with some unresolved issues. After a very long road, Joe loves his job as a shepherding pastor. He is so thankful he continued to push himself out of his comfort zone by challenging himself to address his past. As a result of his obedience, God sculpted him into the man he desired.
WC: Let’s wrap up with a look at worship. We’ve somewhat broadly defined worship at worship.com as consisting of “everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do, revealing that which you treasure and value most in life.” Would you agree that plugging your life into kingdom work to maximize the unique way God has wired, equipped and gifted you is an act of worship?
CC: I agree completely. Eric Liddell, the famous runner in Chariots of Fire who chose not to run in his regular event at the Olympics since it fell on a Sunday, once said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” He was doing what God created him to do. When we align our gifts and talents in the way God created us, we are entering into a worshipful activity as long as we give the honor and Glory back to Him.
WC: Suppose someone is hungry for the study of God, theology, and the Bible, so much so that people assume they must be called to “full-time Christian service” in a church. Is that a valid leap to make, or should we all have a similar sense of longing to learn about God, given that we are all employed in full-time Christian service regardless of who issues our paychecks?
CC: This is the question that routinely is asked of me. Our first calling is to be children of God. Each and every one of us is called to grow in our faith. God desires our hearts. Each of us should hunger for God. A friend in full-time ministry once told me, “If you can do anything other than full-time Christian ministry; then pursue it.” In other words, if you can be fulfilled doing anything else, than do it. God needs talented, passionate people in all areas not just behind the pulpit. Too often we discount what we are called to do because it is “secular.” Erase the line in the sand between secular jobs and sacred jobs because it is not Biblical.
WC: I’m sure there are people reading this who might feel like they must have been out to lunch when God gave out gifts; people who feel like a square peg in a round hole. Maybe they are in school, maybe they are starting out early in their careers, or perhaps they are middle aged and realizing they made all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons. What might you say to them?
CC: Do not despair for “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). I feel a little like a broken record, but God desires an obedient heart. Obedience is the key. The more obedient we are, the more we listen to God’s voice; the clearer things will be for us. God works in mysterious ways. Look how God used Saul/Paul in the growth of the church. He transformed Saul’s zealousness for the law into zealousness for Christ. God will use our experiences for His glory. Join him in the journey.
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Colin Creel is dean of junior boys at Wesleyan School in Norcross, Georgia, where he teaches Bible and coaches swimming. He is the former assistant director of admissions at Wake Forest University, where he received a degree in business and a master’s in communication. He currently lives with his wife Krista at their home in Atlanta. Visit Colin’s website at http://www.colincreel.com .