I'm taking a bit of a detour for this post.
I study international security in my pursuit of a master's degree in international affairs at GA Tech. I have struggled at times with determining how this can further the Kingdom, so much so that I jumped between different areas of study before I settled on this one. Of course, the typical response is "well, you can witness anywhere, in any workplace, and be a light for those who don't know Jesus there." This is completely true, but it's not enough for me. I want to know how my chosen area of study, my chosen career path, can contribute directly to a better world, to the Kingdom of God. I want to know how I can frame what I do in an eternal context.
As I said, I study international security, with a strong focus on how energy affects that security and relationships between nations. I have thought and prayed about how this is beneficial, and I realized the ultimate framework goes something like this.
As Christians, we are meant to influence culture, to work in the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), and to follow the example of Christ in engaging the world in order to alter it through servanthood and love. The way I frame what I do in an eternal context is I think about the end goal. For example, I recently wrote a paper on the potential for U.S.-China military cooperation in the Persian Gulf. Why? Why this topic? Why would it be effective? My answer: because I believe, if this strategy that I spent my paper articulating is implemented, it could reduce U.S.-China tensions, creating a more stable and peaceful world.
Isn't that influencing the world in an eternal way? Isn't that influencing people and nations and culture? This is how I know look at all I write, all I study in my degree, all I seek to pursue afterward.
How can what I'm doing in international security help to create a more stable and peaceful world?
