When the Direction Changes: The Unplanned Path to Finding Vocation

Part 1 of 2

When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. I had a perfect, detailed map for my life that began when I was a tiny, determined fourth-grader and ended with me becoming a high school English teacher. Like a best buddy, this dream stuck by me and grew up with me. Until one day it stopped growing. Real life doesn't always follow the plan. An unexpected detour just before my college graduation threw my entire plan off course.

This post is about that journey—how a life-altering event shifted my direction but never diminished my purpose. It explores how vocation, mission, and vision have served as a guiding light throughout my career in educational leadership, transforming a personal dream into a lifelong commitment to servant leadership.

Vocation: The Unfolding Path

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9, ESV)

I was in 4th grade when I first announced my plans to become a teacher. But I was tiny, the size of a small stick of gum, so my plan was to teach third grade. By the time I entered high school, my plan had not changed, but my height had, so I was willing to teach middle school. By the time I graduated from high school, my plan was fully formed. During those four years, what I lacked in stature, I had gained in confidence: I would study English in college, graduate, earn my teaching credential, and become a high school English teacher. It was a clear, confident path.

Armed with a calling, a plan, and the encouragement of my parents, I made my way through college. Then, during the winter quarter of my senior year, my mother was put on hospice after a lopsided battle with breast cancer. I took that term off and moved back home, and within a month, my mother moved home as well, to be with her Lord and Savior. My father, brothers, and I were devastated. The grief was overwhelming, and by the time I returned to UCSD to complete the last few units needed to graduate, my plans to be a teacher had all but vanished. The desire was still there, but the will was not.

I never did become a high school English teacher, but the vocation the Lord had placed on my heart so many years ago remains to this day. A few months after I graduated, feeling lost and adrift, I took a job as an Academic/Admissions Counselor at a local college, working with adult degree completion students. This unplanned role became a launching point into a career in higher education that has now spanned 35 fulfilling years. This unexpected path, taken when I was most vulnerable, serves as a powerful testament to the idea that vocation isn't always a straight line; it often unfolds through surprising turns and divine intervention.

Clearly, the Lord had established my steps even as I was tripping over my own plans.

Mission: Letting Your Light Shine

If vocation was the path laid out for me, my mission became the light by which I walked it: A divine charge that was placed on my heart during an unforgettable moment on a bus in Ethiopia. That morning, as I was reflecting on my life's purpose, I was struck by the words of Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." This verse became my personal mandate. From that moment on, my mission has been to let the Lord's light shine through me. It's not always grand or exciting, but it is deeply mine.

Living out this mission is not without its challenges. I have often found myself chafing under this charge, yet the Lord’s call has always been clear. Sometimes my life isn’t easy. Let it shine anyway. Sometimes people aren’t easy. Let it shine for them anyway. Sometimes I’m the one in a dark place. Even so. Even if all I can muster is a smile, compassionate eyes, or a kind word. I certainly don't always do it well, but when my heart is attuned to His, I find that even in spite of my own misgivings, I can be the image bearer He created me to be. In this sense, my mission is a continuous, and often challenging, commitment to live out my purpose and values, regardless of external circumstances

Vision: Learning to Do Good and Seek Justice

While vocation and mission are deeply personal, for me, vision calls for a broader, more public commitment. For me, it is rooted in God's timeless command spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause" ( Isaiah 1:17, ESV). This is not simply an instruction to "be good;" it is a call to active, tangible engagement. This type of engagement does not come naturally to most of us. It is something we learn from living in community with Jesus, by being His disciple. As disciples, we are called to tangibly love our neighbors, not from a distance but by actively seeking justice, correcting oppression, and yes, even bringing justice. This is a tall, steep ask, and it isn't about passive, feel-good moments. It's a challenging and continuous commitment. And it is not a solo effort by any stretch. This takes community.

Conclusion: Purpose-Driven Service

The intersection of my personal journey and my professional calling is the place where my work at Concordia University Irvine resides. The School of Education's mission is "To prepare servant leaders who transform lives through innovative and exceptional educational practices to positively impact local and global communities." I have found my unique role as Director of Assessment and Accreditation, an administrative faculty member who works behind the scenes, to be a powerful platform for this mission. As my title suggests, my responsibilities center around ensuring compliance with Commission on Teacher Credentialing and WSCUC standards. But my work is not merely about compliance. My mandate from our Dean is to actively foster a climate of service for our students and the wider community. One of the ways I accomplish this is by guiding our teams in the ethical application of data, a task that demands collaboration, humility, honesty, compassion, and courage. In essence, my work embodies the "heart of a servant leader," creating a crucial connection point where my vocation, mission, and vision perfectly align with the SOE's goal of preparing servant leaders.

My professional dedication to servant leadership is not a job I perform; it is the natural culmination of a life's work guided by vocation, mission, and vision. It's a continuous unfolding, a process of learning to lead and serve, not only through our school’s mission but through the alignment of one's own heart and purpose. This is the foundation from which we can truly transform lives.

The work I've shared here—the journey from a childhood dream to a career —is only half the story. The test of this foundation lies in its practical application: how we live out these principles in the complexities of our professional roles. In Part 2, I will explore how this framework guides me in navigating the intricate worlds of data ethics, accreditation, and servant leadership, demonstrating how a servant heart can transform institutions from the inside out.

About the Author

Barbara Howard, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor of Education and the Director of Assessment and Accreditation for the School of Education at Concordia University Irvine. She began her career in higher education in 1986, working as an academic advisor to adult degree completion students. During her nearly 40-year career, she has had the privilege of serving hundreds of students at four institutions in a variety of roles, including advisor, instructor, dissertation committee chair, and cheerleader. Barbara has been serving at Concordia since 2004 and if the Lord is willing, plans to work there until she retires.