I knew a good man who felt a call to vocational Christian ministry. While in college, he got his fiancée pregnant. This changed everything in the minds of his peers and in his own mind. He knew he had to find a new path to support his family. Years later, he became an airline executive. This man was my father. I was the child.
All of us can probably name someone we’ve known, perhaps even ourselves, who had an abrupt change in calling due to making a bad choice and getting caught. It’s a common tale. A minister had an affair with the wife of a deacon. A salesman padded his expense account. A soldier received a court-martial. These grave sins were more just than mistakes. When they became public, it resulted in a lack of trust. They brought a sudden loss of income, shame, and disgrace to themselves and others.
Does God have a message of hope for those whose calling was altered because of what they did? Has God left these people with no options to find a new vocation and support themselves? Can God use them elsewhere? My perspective is that yes, God can, even if a person self-destructs their original career path. Let me share some biblical examples of those who sinned greatly, discuss how God’s grace provides second chances and marketable skills, and offer some practical wisdom on how individuals in this situation can move forward. I trust this will provide a ray of hope to those who may need it most.
Moral Failures in Scripture & Life
One of the things I appreciate most about the Bible is its honest portrayal of men and women who made bad moral decisions. We see every human weakness as believers gave into temptation in various ways: sexual sin, murder, greed, anger, etc. Part of the reason these incidents are highlighted is to leave no doubt that “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). You see it everywhere. Even though humans were made in God’s image, Adam’s sin is passed down to all.
For example, look at Abraham. Even though God promised him an heir, he did not fully trust in God, so he lied about his wife to protect her. King David, due to his lack of character, chose to steal Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and had him sent to the front lines to die. We all know that Peter denied Jesus three times, but later, Jesus restored him and then used Peter in a mighty way to lead and build the church.
One man who lost his job due to moral failure was the late Chuck Colson. He was one of President Richard Nixon’s most trusted advisors. After his conviction for his part in the Watergate scandal, Chuck went to prison where he met Jesus. Later, Chuck started Prison Fellowship. He was one of the most influential Christian leaders of our modern times. He was radically transformed because of this failure, enabling him to serve so many because of his deep understanding of God’s grace, forgiveness, and transforming power.
Second Chances
The question of whether or not God will bless individuals with another vocational calling when the door is closed on the first one is broader than just this situation.
In addition to those whose vocational options have ended due to a lack of integrity, there are many others whose career options are cut off due to no fault of their own: a singer who loses his ability to hear, an athlete who loses a limb in an accident, or a seminary student who can no longer fund his education. These struggling believers will need to seek the Lord diligently to find a new calling. I know from my own experience in the last situation listed above, God provided abundant guidance, pointing me to a military career (serving on active duty and in a civilian capacity) for nearly forty years.
Despite a major moral failure, God still has work for his children to do, even if they are no longer qualified to fulfill their original calling. This is revealed in scripture’s many declarations of God’s eternal attributes of grace and mercy, which are based on his covenant faithfulness. God’s mercy is revealed when he does not give us what we deserve. His grace is exhibited when he gives us way more than we deserve.
For example, the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28 mentions that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Also, 1 John 1:9 gives us confidence that our fellowship with God is re-established when we humbly confess our sins to him.
God Given Skills are Transferable
A key to understanding this may be knowing the difference between qualifications and skills. A pastor, for example, may be skilled in preaching or counseling. He may be able to use that God-given and developed skill in other places besides the church if he has done something to disqualify himself.
These specified job skills, which in the context of a church are referred to as spiritual gifts, are enabled at conversion. However, they may be built into the DNA of a believer long before he or she comes to faith in Christ. The gift of administration can be used in a corporate setting as well as a running a church board. Someone gifted at teaching the junior high Sunday school class also may teach math at the high school across town. Spiritual gifts do not just disappear when doors of service are closed.
Moreover, have you ever considered that God in his sovereignty knew ahead of time the career trajectory of his children who fell into temptation, and gifted them with a multitude of marketable skills so that they could find employment somewhere else to provide for their families?
The Way Forward
I found a word of hope for those who have ever made a life-altering mistake.
In Psalm 107, we read about people who made bad life choices and experienced the consequences of their actions. When they repented and cried out to God for help, they received his grace and forgiveness. We read, “Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities” (Ps. 107:17). As a result, they lost their will to live. But then, “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, he rescued them from the grave” (Ps. 107:19-20). Even at our lowest moments, God will rescue and restore.
What can a Christian do after their calling or vocation is no longer an option?
- Humbly repent of sin
- Do what’s needed to make amends or reconcile with people who were hurt
- Get some counseling, personal, or vocational, or both
- Consider the additional interests, aptitudes, and skills God has given them
- Be completely honest with future employers about their job history
- Pray every step of the way along this new spiritual journey
- Remember who they are in Christ: forgiven, a new creation, a child of God
Closing Thoughts
Perhaps the story about my unexpected beginning and my dad’s change of vocation resonated with someone. I consider my existence living proof that God is a God of second chances. Who is to say whether or not my dad’s ministry career would have had any more or less impact than his eventual career as an airline executive? I do know that God provided for my mother and father and their young family as he promised. I also am well aware that he probably could not have afforded to pay for my out-of-state college tuition if he had stayed in ministry. His good salary enabled me to meet my wife, which has had an eternal impact.
There is no “Plan B” with God. We may be caught off guard when failures disrupt our lives and those of our loved ones, but he is not surprised. He has a plan to use us as his coworkers that will bring him glory, despite what we do. God is always in control. He will work all things for good, ours and his.
If you or someone you love has had to shift gears vocationally after a major moral failure, I encourage you to remind them of God’s grace. The triune God has not left them without marketable skills, aptitudes, and abilities that can lead them to full-time employment and that God can use to meet the needs of his neighbors. If God has done this with his broken vessels in the past, he can do so now.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on the author’s personal blog. Republished with permission.
