Since becoming a Christian I have struggled with understanding how the work I do in my career plays a part in building God’s kingdom. How can I possibly be practicing the values and teachings of Christ in my purely secular job? In what way am I making this world better? Am I wasting my time and efforts? Did I really just spend the past 25 years of my life building something that God cannot possibly use?
As I have struggled with these questions over the past year or so, God has repeatedly shown me Colossians 3:23 in various ways:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”
In fact – I recently had another post centered around this verse.
Because usually, I just accept His word at surface value and get back to work. But this time it hit me a little differently. I started to look back over my career and how I have progressed and achieved over the past 25 years. I have always been very proud of my accomplishments. I have climbed two corporate ladders. I have worked in the public and private sectors. I have lead highly effective teams in both arenas. I know that I have been lucky on several occasions – I have been in the right place at the right time. I have often thought that, for someone with limited formal education, I am surely trusted with important decisions. And usually those decisions turn out to be pretty good. But before today, I have never really given credit where it is due.
You see, this whole time, I have looked at this career I have built as something separate from God. I built it. Sure I used the gifts and talents He gave me, but I built it. And since I built it – what if I have made the wrong choices and turns? He cannot possibly want me doing this – when there are far more important jobs for His kingdom. Am I being disobedient by working in this career that I built instead of living a life of complete dedication to a ministry or working directly for the Church as a profession?
For someone who would give the shirt off of his back to help a stranger, I can really be self absorbed sometimes. And I never realized how self-centered my view of my career has been. I did not build this. I was merely an active participant. Every opportunity was provided for me. Every difficult choice was made clear and simple. Every promotion was earned by using gifts and direction by the Provider. He was there paving the way, even before I pursued a relationship with Him. This is the career and the path that He has chosen for me. He has used every step as preparation for the next. He has used every trial to prepare a triumph. He has used every relationship to sow a seed. It isn’t about the widgets I produce – He already has everything, He doesn’t need my widgets. It is about the processing not the process. It is about the production not the product. It is not about the type of work – it is about the good works.
This whole time, I have been focused on what I was doing and have been completely missing what He is doing.
I cannot tell you the peace that I have experienced over this realization. It may seem simple and obvious from the outside – but there was nothing further from obvious in my life. Often, even when we intend to fully surrender to God’s will, we keep that one thing segregated or off to the side. Maybe we do it because we are afraid of being completely honest with God – like He doesn’t already know. Or maybe, as in my case, we do it because we do not think it is important to God. Whatever our reason, refusing to surrender an area of our life to God only causes strife and confusion. And until you realize that you are chosen and important to Him, every hair on your head, every facet of your life – you will always feel like something is missing.
Do good works where He leads you. But most importantly, do good works where He has you.
Dadvotionals 