Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling

“The doctrine of vocation is a surprisingly important one. If you come to a firm understanding of this doctrine while you are young, it will serve you well for the rest of your life. That is why I am so pleased with this book. It addresses sound teaching and faithful application to teens and young adults—the very people who have a whole lifetime of vocation ahead of them.”

“In this book, William Boekestein shows us a true pastoral heart. He lays out biblical principles that can enable young readers to seek a vocation that fits them and then do it with gracefulness and God-glorifying purpose. As a founding chancellor of a Christian university in Africa, I will want to put this book into the hands of all our students. The truths in this book could have far-reaching results on our continent!”

“This book is packed with biblical truth and practical wisdom—and is a much-needed and extremely helpful resource on the topic of a distinctly Christian view of vocation. I've been helped by it...and I commend it to you.”

“Finding My Vocation by Pastor Bill Boekestein is a timely book. Many young people are questioning the traditional assumptions about how to find their niche in life. This book masterfully unpacks calling in the space of 100 pages. Simple without being shallow, Boekestein exams the biblical concept of vocation as well as how to prepare and practice one’s vocation. The content of each chapter is illustrated by the stories of people that were interviewed over the course of writing the book. Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young People Seeking a Calling will be a birthday gift for all my grandchildren who are trying to find their calling. I could not make a better recommendation than that.”

“Pastor Bill Boekestein has done young people—and the whole church, really—a tremendous service by providing an accessible overview of the Bible's teaching on vocation. We are most happy, and God most glorified, when we “live in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.” This book will help you do just that. I commend it highly.”

“Pastor Boekestein has written a book that is all at once practical, motivating, challenging, and encouraging. The normal feel-good platitudes of the day won’t cut it, and Bill dives into a scriptural take on one of the most important issues and considerations we will ever face. His communication style is clear and succinct yet with true depth and richness that makes the key takeaways of the book really stick. I cannot recommend this enough!”

“Thoroughly Reformed. [Boekestein] includes good quotes from the Reformed fathers, confessions, and Scripture...I encourage those in high school and college to read this book, especially if they are struggling to find a vocation. But it is not only for a segment of people struggling to find their vocational calling. Those who know what God is calling them to do and those who are doing it will benefit as well. Parents, grandparents, and counselors will benefit greatly from the book to help the coming generations settle on a vocation that fits them and is honoring to God. I personally found it beneficial, as I work in the kingdom calling God has given to me.”

“Young people seeking God’s will for their life’s calling will discover a treasure trove of wisdom in William Boekestein’s Finding my Vocation. Vocation covers all of life. As they prayerfully make decisions for the future, they will consider biblical principles of work and relationships, they will assess their God-given talents and providential circumstances, they will aim to serve their family and their neighbor, and they will honor God. A rich, fulfilling, Christ-centered life awaits them if they follow the principles found on these pages.”

“Three things are most important in life: Knowing God, marrying the right person, and finding the right vocation. William Boekestein's thoughtful book may help young people follow a good path and recalibrate if they've gone astray.”

“God brings us to our vocations, but his callings still require our preparation and discernment. William Boekestein has written an engaging, biblically and theologically-informed guide for young people trying to figure out where God wants them to serve that is both practical and spiritual. But it is also a guide for those of us already deep in our vocations who perhaps do not fully realize the role vocations play in the Christian life.”

“I am often asked by worried parents if their teenager should go to college or not. They often mistake an apathy towards higher education as depression, a lack of drive, or just pure laziness. I wonder if in most cases it is a lack of purpose. Many of these parents have fallen into the trap of thinking that a college education is the only avenue to a respectable life. It’s simply not true. I value a liberal arts education, and hopefully the children of these worried parents received one in high school. This does not mean, however, that only a white-collar occupation can provide true purpose. Nonsense! Our value, identity, and purpose cannot be satisfactorily defined by salary, position, or social standing. The doctrine of vocation frees us from this false choice. We are first freed from sin on account of Christ. Now that we are free, God uses us, no, he calls us to be his coworkers in the world. What title or amount of money could satisfy our yearning for purpose more than that? This book needed to be written. This is tough stuff, isn’t it? Especially for teenagers trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Boekestein will help these young Christians navigate these tough questions. He puts the gospel first and by doing so frees the worried teen about their standing before God, but he also shows them that whatever their vocation it is honored by God. God gives them a divine purpose in life.”

“Hardly a week goes by when I am not asked an earnest and serious question about vocation. Often it has to do with preparation for work; sometimes it has to do with enduring a job that seems unfulfilling. This short book offers clear, practical, but most importantly, biblical advice on the nature of work, its place in the Christian’s life, and how to engage in what God gives us to do. I recommend it highly.”

“Very thought-provoking and practical and...helpful for teens.”

“Many people spend more of their lives working than any other activity. This wise book blends the insights of several Reformed confessions, the Puritans, and many contemporary voices to create a valuable guide for young people and their parents on vocation. Boekestein is to be commended for this biblical, wise, and highly practical treatment on calling and service to God and our neighbor.”

“Mastering his usual literary skills, William Boekestein covers every aspect of the doctrine of vocation particularly as it applies to young people thinking about their future. Accompanied by true-life examples, this helpful guide is especially timely in a society characterized by a contrasting mixture of high expectations and common anxieties. Even someone like me who has left youthful days far behind can benefit from this reminder and these practical suggestions on how to “lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Cor. 7:17 ESV). Because of the abundance of scriptural references and pertinent quotations, I have found this book more devotional and nourishing than I would have expected. Highly recommended for the whole family.”