Even if you are unfamiliar with the sporting life, if I provided the slogan of “Just Do It,” I doubt there is anyone reading this post who would be unable to bellow the company’s name. As I ponder the best methods for equipping the next generation of emerging adults, my advice might be to “just do it;” however, it is critical for them to have a framework for what the “it” should be. Helping to define the “it” for Gen Z, mentors are one source of wise counsel in addition to Scripture and self-awareness.
As emerging adults narrow their focus on discerning a career and entering the workplace, they often experience a hesitancy to make final decisions in fear of making a mistake and floundering. However, we learned in the post entitled Relational Equity and Humility, that flourishing, or déjà vu people, accept their mistakes as part of a growing process. Therefore, emerging adults should be encouraged to attempt hard things, even if they fail, in order to grow and learn from those mistakes.
Kevin DeYoung and Joshua Harris communicate in Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will that action is critical to success. Just as Dr. Cloud recommended that flourishing people take action, DeYoung and Harris re-emphasize this vital principle recognizing that “Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as ‘looking for God’s will,’ as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity. As a result, we are full of passivity and empty on follow through. We’re tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something.”
Returning to the issues addressed in Beyond the Headlights, DeYoung and Harris agree with my conclusions that “Yes, God has a specific plan for our lives. And yes, we can be assured that He works things for our good in Christ Jesus. And yes, looking back we will often be able to trace God’s hand in bringing us to where we are. But while we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time.” There is a responsibility on our part to continue on the journey towards ‘something’ by taking immediate steps in faith.
DeYoung and Harris maintain this line of thought as they share, “God is not a Magic 8-Ball (if you Gen Zers don’t know what this is, do an internet search) we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for Him. The problem is we think He’s going to tell us the wonderful plan before it unfolds. We feel like we can know-and need to know-what God wants every step of the way. But such preoccupation with finding God’s will, as well-intentioned as the desire may be, is more folly than freedom. The better way is the biblical way: Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we’re going.”
Rather then viewing the journey into a fulfilling career as a pilgrimage where we learn, grow, and develop new knowledge and skills, we “have started looking for heaven on earth. We have lost any sort of pilgrim attitude.” Many of the issues related to the hesitancy in just taking some action towards a career after college graduation are generational because our worldview is impacted by society around us. You are more likely to hear the voice of an older generation “say something like, ‘I never thought about fulfillment. I had a job. I ate. I lived. I raised my family. I went to church. I was thankful.’” Attempting to discern God’s will was not as available to that generation due to a lack of choices as it might be to a young, aspiring professional in the 2020s.
Discerning God’s will for your life is vital and this can often be done while we are engaged in one vocation or position. The crucial principle in this post is to take action, not to idly await the perfect job. Accept that entry-level position and absorb all the knowledge you can while developing new skill sets that will transfer to other vocations. “Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live, because showing us the future is not God’s way. His way is to speak to us in the Scriptures and transform us by the renewing of our minds. His way is not a crystal ball. His way is wisdom.” Experience creates wisdom, mentors guide us with wisdom, and believe it or not, even a job we dislike provides us with knowledge in moving forward in our careers and if we are following Christ, He will use you wherever you are.
Please feel free to share in the comments below any recommendations for emerging adults to just do __________ (fill in the blank). What word would you offer as encouragement to those seeking their calling?
Flourishing @ Life 
This post is very applicable for me in this season of life. As I am a college student and will be entering the “real world” soon, I have somewhat struggled with discerning God’s will for my life. This post provided me with lots of encouragement. God already has a plan, and I don’t need to know what it is. He has gifted me with the intelligence to make decisions and the ability to do hard things. Wherever life takes me is a part of His plan, and I know I will learn and grow through every experience. If seeking Him is my top priority, everything else will fall into place.
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When thinking about ultimately taking the final step out of the nest and entering the real world, I often question myself and all the decisions I have made that has led me here. However, this post has really inspired me to “Just do it”, and that God has given me the ability to fulfill my dreams as long I continue to strive towards Him. I do not have to always know the entire plan before I embark on God’s next journey for me, I should have faith that he will see me through. God has never let me down and is always constant.
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I have never shied away from putting myself out there. The idea of jumping ahead and trying new things always excited me. But starting projects or getting the idea out there was never the problem. It was following through with “it.” The concept of taking action to completely go through scared me, as I feared the outcome. I live with always wanting more, dreaming big, but am scared of working to actually see these dreams come true in case it does not work out the way I expected. This post though shows me that this fear should not stop me. I should put faith into God, knowing that he knows the outcome and will guide me towards these dreams.
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I’ll have to write a post on a book I read called Finish that addresses this concept!
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The “Just do it” campaign from Nike has swept the world and built their billion dollar corporation, but at it’s core it is much more than just a money maker. The old saying, “The devil finds work for idle hands” may be a bit dramatic, but holds on to the truth that God does not call us to sit idly by, but instead to pursue our passions and glorify Him through our work. Working hard is a good thing, and we should never shy away from that. If we do not know what “it” is that we need to just do, we can then substitute something. Try something new, revisit something old, but do not just sit. There is always something to learn, always something to be improved, or always something to go see. Our lives are not meaningless time periods on a floating rock, so do not treat them as such. We must make the most of what God has given us and enjoy his wonderful creation.
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This post was great for me to hear at this time in my life. I am at a stage where I am looking for internships that could lead to my first job. These are nerve-racking times and times where it would be easy for me to be too afraid to take a leap of faith. I have found myself hesitant to do interviews for internships once I get them because I talk myself out of that internship and convince myself it is not the right one for me. I need to have more faith in the life God has built for me and take leaps of faith and trust in Him in no matter what situation I am put in.
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I am someone who likes to think in the present and act in the present so i don’t like thinking about the future too much. When thinking about what i am going to do in the world and the type of career i will have and if i’ll be successful or not is sometimes hard to think about. I think this article helped me to just do it and take that step and trust that God has a plan for me and everywhere i go and everywhere i end up is for a reason and i just need to trust in that.
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To some extent, everyone has a fear of failure. I think this fear grows when we start to care more about what others might think of us if we fail. We should be more concerned about what God thinks of us regardless and how we will feel if we let fear cripple us from trying something new when an opportunity is presented. Real faith is predicated upon action and but fear can keep us from acting. Failure is a part of life but it doesn’t have to be our life. “Experience creates wisdom, mentors guide us with wisdom, and even a job we dislike provides us with the knowledge [to move] forward in our careers.” Christ can use any circumstance to further His Kingdom if we let him.
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I think this was a great time in my life for me to read this post. I am at the point in my life where I am close to graduating. I am beginning to look for internships and potential jobs to start off my career. It would easy for me to be scared of these new beginnings and be timid going into interviews with potential employers. There are definitely times when I have felt unconfident going into an interview. I have a tendency to try and convince myself that either this internship isn’t for me, or that I am not the best candidate for this job. At times, I need to take a step back and trust God’s plan to know it is always greater than mine.
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I think this was a great time in my life for me to read this post. I am at the point in my life where I am close to graduating. I am beginning to look for internships and potential jobs to start off my career. It would easy for me to be scared of these new beginnings and be timid going into interviews with potential employers. There are definitely times when I have felt unconfident going into an interview. I have a tendency to try and convince myself that either this internship isn’t for me, or that I am not the best candidate for this job. At times, I need to take a step back and trust God’s plan to know it is always greater than mine.
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What word would I offer as encouragement for an emerging adult? Not really a word, but more so a phrase that I would use would be “be spontaneous.” My advice would be to just do whatever makes you happy. If sitting at desk from 9 to 5 makes you happy, do it. If you want t be on the road going places and seeing things, do it. People tend to say, “The world is your oyster.” People tend to get stuck in certain position and are not happy. Do not want to be one of those people.
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You should just be you. That is the word I would use to finish the above posted phrase. You can not be anyone else, and you most certainly can not control other people. So just be you. I feel as if emerging adults are always feeling the pressure of how other people look at them, and it impacts the way they act, instead of just being themselves. If something makes you happy, go for that something. I can not remember who said the quote but I read one that said “If you are truly happy doing your job, then you will never actually work a day in your life.”
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Although I do feel that I know God’s calling for me, I have recently found a lack of motivation about my life. The phrase “Just Do It” is definitely easier said than done; however, it might be the best way to get my head back on track. Instead of wasting time during the day, regretting assignments that i have to complete, by simply getting up and getting them done I will be able to look more highly at myself and enjoy the time I have left during the day to simply relax.
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