What Are You Majoring in?

What are you majoring in? If you are around a college campus very long, that’s one of the most frequent questions that you hear. College students choose an area of specialization called a “major” and take courses aimed at helping them pursue a career in that area.

Since parents are investing a large amount of their money in financing their young scholar, they are interested and concerned about their student’s major. Sometimes they are not pleased. One father said that his son majored in “Campfire Songs” and graduated “cum ba ya.” Another father noted that his son had a double major. He was majoring in both economics and applied physics. The father added, “It’s not a very useful combination, but it does explain how he can spend money at the speed of light.”

Sometimes it is difficult to translate the major to life. A T-shirt seen on a student at Hampton University in Virginia said, “Liberal Arts Major—Will think for food.” One student was home for the holidays and, as is sometimes the case, was not anxious to talk to his parents. The following conversation took place?
“How are things going?”
“Good.”
“How’s the dorm?”
“Fine.”
“How are your grades?”
“OK”
“What is your major?”
“Communication.”

I remember how hard it was for me to decide what to major in. My parents, to their credit, refused to make the decision for me. I really had no idea what I wanted to do. Finally, because I couldn’t think of anything else, I decided to major in library science. At the end of my junior year, the Lord called me to preach, and then I knew why I never had been able to have any peace about any of the majors I had considered. As it turned out, a major in library science and minors in English and social studies were good preparation for the ministry. They gave me a broad background that I needed before going to the seminary, helped me earn some money by working one year in the seminary library, and even taught me how to arrange the books on the shelves of my study.

What will you major in? Actually, that is not just a question for college; it is a question for life. What will you focus on? What will receive the most attention in your life?

Lawrence Wharton observed that life is filled with major things and minor things. The problem is that most people choose to major on the minors.

Jesus found a lot of people doing the same during His day. He urged them to choose the “weightier” matters of life. The weightiest matter of all is making God and your relationship to Him the central focus of your life. Is that the case with your life? I have an important question for you today: What are you majoring in?