If you’re a Christian twenty-something-year-old, you’ve probably prayed more than once for God to lead you to the right job, and you just hope that that job incorporates something you like doing with the security of being able to pay your bills. However, sometimes life doesn’t work out like that right away and you take anything just to keep you from being homeless.
*BACKTRACK: don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying if you’re in that boat that God hasn’t answered your prayers. It just means that you’re in a different step of the answered prayer.
Anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to express to you the importance of being able to honor God wherever He places you whether it’s a transition job, a job you hate, a job that’s not ‘Christian,’ or a dream job.
When I say job that’s not ‘Christian,’ I’m referring to a career that’s not necessarily in the ministry like a church, a Christian publication, a mission field, etc. If you don’t have that type of job, that’s okay, you can still be an instrument for God where your passions lie.
If you’re like me, you may be working a side-hustle that allows you to put your efforts into your passions like writing, acting, or music. In that line of work, God has taught me that I can make an impact doing the most ordinary things.
I believe that working in a way that’s pleasing to God is much more a head and heart deal than it is the physical tasks you’re doing. Let me explain.
First of all, you need to ask yourself if you even want to honor God in your career or workplace? If you don’t feel the need, then you will probably act so accordingly. No worries, I’ll let you talk to God about that yourself. BUT if you do want to take the steps, here are some things to consider.
Seeking His will. His will is a very large umbrella that covers most of our lives. Even Jesus Himself surrendered to what God wanted rather than His own desire in the moment of His crucifixion. It’s also part of how Jesus taught us to pray. “Thy will be done.” If we truly want to do what God wants us to do, we will continue to submit to God’s purposes even if they don’t always line up with what we want.
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him that He will do it.” Psalm 37:4,5
You may be wondering…how do I know that what I’m doing is in God’s will? That’s a whole other blog, but the short answer is this: you don’t. At least, not 100%. But it goes back to what God has given you from the start: talents, knowledge, passions, experience. If this is something you’ve already committed to prayer, I believe God will make it known to you in some way. He did for me.
Going back to His will, two foundations you’ll need are wisdom and trust. All you need to do is continually pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Trust can be a more complicated issue. Proverbs makes it simple though. Say it with me now…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5,6
The key word I want you to zoom in on is ‘all.’ Trust requires all your heart and in all aspects of life. But the good news is, if you both are going toward the same goal, He goes before you so that all you need to do is just keep swimming. That’s why you can trust Him.
I’ve only scratched the surface of this topic, so be on the lookout for a part 2 where I dive deeper into Godly conduct in a less than Godly career.
How do you feel about God in your line of work? Take some time to think about how God has woven your life to get you to this moment.
God bless!
-LJM
Leah Jordan Meahl 