If there is one thing that is nearly a universal experience for college students, it is the feeling of having less money than feels comfortable. No matter where we actually fall on the financial spectrum, there is something about the college experience that brings out the perceived need for just a little more cash. The feeling that, whether there are five or 5,000 dollars in our savings account, we are thoroughly in the broke category, and we would very much like to leave that space soon.
Enter: the application process.
Applying for jobs is as much a part of spring at Asbury as the melting snow (or ice, this year). Whether it is searching for a job after graduation or merely a summer internship, all eyes are turned toward money-making possibilities come May. We want to find something that will make up for our year-long $7.25 paychecks – something that will give our minds and wallets a sense of a little more security come fall. We want money.
But is that really all we want?
In navigating my own internship application process this semester, I’ve found myself looking at a lot of companies with standards and beliefs that I don’t agree with. Companies that stand for different values, support different causes and let different things slide. Companies that, if they weren’t hiring, I wouldn’t particularly like… but they are hiring. And they pay money.
There are more than enough arguments to be had both ways. “Working for a company means taking a stand for the same things they do.” “It’s just a job, and at your level, it’s more about working with the people rather than the mission.” “Never compromise your morals, no matter the cost.” “Your workplace isn’t supposed to just be an easy environment to earn your paycheck, but a mission field to spread God’s light in dark places.”
Try as I might, I’ve struggled to stand against either perspective. Of course, I don’t want to compromise my morals for the sake of money (as nice as money is). And of course, I don’t want to give up on the people working in a company who have yet to encounter the saving power of Christ. Both paths have risks and rewards. No matter which is chosen, there is an undeniable feeling that it could be the wrong choice. So which is less wrong?
I’m not sure it’s as simple as that.
When Daniel and his friends were taken into exile, God led them to refuse the unclean food offered to them in their new environment. They chose to obey their morals rather than join in the practices and values of those around them, and in so doing brought glory to God. If we were to look merely at that story, it seems to offer a pretty easy answer to the question. But that would require forgetting about Peter in Acts 10. How God commanded him to partake of unclean food, and, in so doing, called him to interact with people considered outside of God’s chosen ones.
As Christians, we like to think that every decision in our lives can fit into the categories of ‘godly’ and ‘ungodly.’ We look for clues and signs, sure that there will be something that can put an opportunity into one or the other. But God’s work is hardly ever so straightforward. What one person is called to do may not be what you are called to do. And what is right for God’s plan at one moment in time may be contrary to His plan later on.
So what can we do when an opportunity we are unsure of comes knocking?
For one, I think we can look at our priorities. When we think of a job or position that might take us out of our moral comfort zone, what aspect of it catches our interest? Is it the good that we might be doing, or – maybe – the money that we might be making? Do we trust ourselves in an environment like that if our motivation is built on something so shaky? Is our foundation strong enough to endure the fire we are stepping into?
Personally, I don’t know what opportunities God will open for me this summer. I don’t know if I’ll spend my months helping kids at a Christian camp or working for a boss who supports everything that I am against. What I do know, however, is that His reasons for leading me there will be bigger than the paycheck I might make. He has a plan that is bigger than my own uncertain perspective, and being a part of it is a far greater privilege than any earthly security.
