how to decide on job

As we grow older, the magnitude of the decisions we make are also bigger with greater consequences. Life can definitely go into many states of uncertainty.  As a kid, my parents decide on where I should live, what school to go, what to eat, etc. There is no such thing as choosing a course in the school I went, so I didn't really get to make decisions on courses. Probably the first big decision that I had to make is about which university to apply and if got accepted, which one to go to.

I was good in Math and Physics, so I went for Engineering, and by process of elimination, Electrical Engineering became my first choice. Somehow I ended up coming to the University of Waterloo, kind of far from home, with different culture and language, and with very cold winters. So far, this is one of the best decisions made so far.

Once in University, things are still pretty structured, I have courses, then I have to apply for coop jobs, and then so on, until I school is done. Though Engineering was a pretty tough degree, it never crossed my mind to switch. Once undergrad is done, the next big decision is to apply for a full-time job, and here is where I think life gets slightly more complicated because there are so many options and there is no longer a "curriculum".

What type of job to apply? How long should I work in this job? What career options should I pursue? Should I consider other job industries?

I have been working more than 4 years since I graduated, and it has been a very challenging experience. There is less flexibility at work than school, and the magnitude of pressure and stress from work seems to be a couple of notches above school; well the good thing is that there is usually no homework.

I feel that it is easy for years to pass without noticing, and these last couple of years I feel it has been a blur. So, I think it is important to constantly reflect and review on what's going on, and decide whether to keep going at the current job or to consider other options.

Here are a couple of questions or points that I am reflecting upon to help me determine what should I do with my current job situation:

• Finding fulfillment at my job
• Many times people ask me if I enjoy my work, and to be honest I like part of my job, but I cannot say I enjoy it always, because there are bad days and there is no perfect job where we will enjoy every single characteristic of it. Hence I am gravitating toward the word "fulfillment". Do I find satisfaction on what I do at work? Am I using the full extent of my capabilities at work? Am I causing a positive impact? (this is very linked to the next point)
• Glorying God at my job
• The classic example is to be an active witness of Christ at work, to find opportunity to share the gospel, and to make the work place a better place 
• There is also the intrinsic value of doing an excellent work at what you do. This is not for gaining praises to feed our pride, but this is to utilize the gifts God had given to us, and to gain a good reputation so that God can use us to influence our work place.
• How your job affects the other aspects of your life
• Does your job takes away time from you to do other things that are important to you? Does your job affects your health? Does my job hinder my personal growth. Sometimes work can drain you quite a bit, or causes you very high level of stress. It might not be the job itself but lack of a personal balance, and this likely will impact your spiritual health.

John Piper wrote a pretty helpful article about this topic: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-to-decide-about-your-next-job

the one true King

Recently I participated at a wedding as a groomsman, and it was truly an honor. On the Thursday before the wedding, I went to pick up another groomsman on my way to the wedding rehearsal. He is a very good friend who lives outside of the country so we don't get to talk a lot. And as he sat into the car, he asked me about my opinion on the protests in Hong Kong, which caught me a bit off guard as I was not expecting a heavy question as our first conversation haha.

This is a topic I have been thinking about for a while, as I want to understand how a Christian should respond to this situation. I lived 2 years in Hong Kong when I was in kindergarten, and my dad and his family lives there right now, so in a way I am connected with this city. To be truly honest, I am not 100% engaged or invested with the situation in Hong Kong as I don't live there and don't have a good understanding of the people's situation to make a stand.

But I do want to learn on how we as Christians should respond because this type of situation could happen in the places where we live in. The question that comes to mind is, whether we Christians should participate in this type of protests. Here are a few points for discussion:

• Submission to authorities, are Christians to always obey authorities?
• Romans 13 is very clear on that we should be subject to authorities, and that God has put these people in power for a reason. We could ask ourselves whether this "command" was only for the people that the letter of Romans was addressed to, or whether it is for everyone. 
• We also know that not everyone in authority in the world will adhere to Christian principles, so we are bound to be in conflict with those in power. I like how Paul speaks about praying for those who are in power, so that the can grow in godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:1-2). 
• I think Daniel is a good example on how a Christian should behave when the authorities are imposing something that is not compliance to our faith. He did not revolt or make a big deal out of it. He did disobey the decree (of not praying to any gods other than king Darius), but he readily  accepted this punishment to be thrown to the lion's den, and God saved him!
• How to respond when there is injustice?
• I don't have a good grasp of all the injustices that people in Hong Kong go through, I do know of some like the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, the crazily expensive housing prices (that most common people cannot afford), and since the "governor" of Hong Kong is selected from a list of people chosen by the government in China, then there is little probability that this governor will strongly adhere to the interest of the people in Hong Kong. 
• Is it rightful to protest (and in the process disobeying the authorities) until demands are met? I cannot recall any bible passages where it deemed to be rightful to protest against the authorities. Instead I can think of passages where people in influential positions were able to convince kings to do something good for the Israelites (Nehemiah convinced king Artaxerxes to allow him to go rebuild the walls, similar examples with Ezra and Esther). 
• What is the "right" government system?
• I am not an expert of government systems, but many people in the western world do believe that democracy is the way to go. I know that democracy allows people's interests to be represented instead of giving full power to a central political body (or in some situations to a single person). From a biblical perspective, I think the ideal government is a theocratic one, where a king is selected by God to govern by God's statutes. But then, even the closest godly king, David, did very bad things. This is part of the human sinful nature, when given so much power, we can easily be corrupted.

I don't think I am providing any answers as I write, but I am finding more questions without answers.

My current stand is that I would participate in the protest with the aim to express my opinion that I disagree with the injustices people are going through, but I would not incite in violence or have a defiant attitude when engaging with authorities (e.g. police force). I don't think there will be a perfect government system here on earth, and I think there will continue be injustices regarding of the government system, but I think that this is part of God's sovereignty and that there is hope that God will impart justice on His proper timing. As well, I also think that this is a great opportunity to tell others about the gospel, because we have a true King that is just, and He is the savior of our lives. 

During this Thanksgiving, I am really thankful to Christ because:

• Christ is a servant king (Matthew 20:25-28) who came to earth to serve
• Christ is our role model (1 John 2:6) who exemplified how we should live
• Christ is a king who died to saved His people (Matthew 27:42, Jews were mocking Him, but really Christ chose not to save Himself from the cross, to save the world)
• Christ is a victorious king (1 Cor. 15:20-28) who has dominion over enemies and authorities and even death.
• Christ is also a compassionate king and his legacy carries on even now