My Career Voyage! Charting The Course

By Dr. Jeff Roberts
Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC

We all know the feeling of another Monday that brings with it challenges and opportunities. When I listen to you speak of your work, I am always intrigued. I have spent my adult life in a cocoon of sorts, because I work where I go to church. My work life is an extension of my church life; so it is true, I do not face some of the issues you face at the job. Even the most difficult person can find the energy to be nice for five minutes, when they come through the doors of the church.

However, this does not mean that our staff is not confronted with some of the same issues you deal with on a weekly basis. Our office, like any office, is filled with different personalities. Our staff is comprised of individuals who are carrying burdens of sickness in their family and financial and family concerns. Like most of us, those “other” issues remain on our minds even in our work. We are faced each week with the same question, “How do we find joy in our work?”

I have noticed that our approach to work is usually expressed in three ways. Some of us work because we have to. Our work does not define us, but it is what we must do to provide resources for our selves and our families. We are more defined by what we do with our resources outside work than the work itself. Another group of us are more defined by our work – we derive much of our personhood from our work. We are known by our profession, yet we do not find joy in our work and we resist being defined by it. Although others see us in this role, we are conflicted in our own self-perception. It is true we perform a certain role in our work, but we want people to know we are more than our work. The third group is those who love what they do. They cannot imagine doing anything else. This does not mean there are not hard days at work, but that people in this group thrive on those challenges. The individuals who find themselves in this group of workers are people who have no problem being defined by their work. They have embraced their profession as a vocation, and this is who they are, not only while at the work place but, in every area of life.

I want to suggest to you that whichever group you identify with you, as a Christian, can find joy in your work. We must understand that none of the approaches to work that I have described are better than the others – they are just different. However, in each approach the Christian has the ability to discover ways to glorify God and discover a deep joy from the gift of work. Paul writes in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

This passage in Colossians is the final part of a Christian revealing their faith through relationships. As we have seen, there is a way for a Christian to act in relationships in the church, in marriage and with their family. Now, Paul turns his attention to the relationship of the master and the slave.

Most of the time, the relationship between master and slave in the Roman Empire was different from our connotation of the American slave experience. Most slaves were from conquered nations, and they came to work for those in Rome. In many cases, their relationship was more of an employer and employee relationship, where the Master cared for the well-being of the servant. With that said, it is also important to understand that there were those who were mistreated and demeaned by the institution of slavery in the Roman Empire.

This is why Paul’s words to both the slave and the master are surprising. The slave who was a Christian was free in Christ, but he was not to use that freedom in regards to his relationship with a Christian or non-Christian master. The servant was to regard his relationship with Christ as all the more reason to be faithful and hardworking. The master was to treat his servants with a new respect, because they had discovered in Christianity that they, too, had a master to which they would answer. So, Christianity was to alter the normal relationship of master and servant.

With this in mind, Paul instructed the servant to serve the master when he was around and when he was not being watched. They were to work as though they were working unto the Lord. I believe there are some principles which we can apply to our work. How do we make work a joy? Let me mention three ideas for us.

First, we must find work that meets our aptitude. Aptitude simply means inclination, talent, or gift. One of the most joyous moments is when you realize that your talents and gifts are being used in your work. We know there are some whom we would call lucky people, because they love their work. Their aptitude fits perfectly with what they do for a living. We think of artists, writers, and musicians who are uniquely gifted for what they do to make a living. But what about the rest of us? What about those of us who work at jobs which do not entirely fit our passions?

Let me suggest, it is important for us to find work that meets our aptitude. God has gifted us with different talents. When we discover that talent, passion, or inclination, we are able to use them in our work. Then, work can become a joy.

In Genesis 2 – the creation story – God created Adam and gave him work to do. Adam was going to care for the garden God created, and Adam was given the job of naming the animals. God created man and woman to work with their hands, use their minds, and manage God’s creation. What I want us to understand is that whether you work with your hands, mostly use your mind in your work, care for people, or manage others, all of these are part of God’s creation. Therefore, all of these aptitudes are holy and sacred.

Until he sinned against God, Adam’s work was rewarding because he understood that he was doing what God created him to do.

John Killinger tells a story about a sign outside a small shop in London.

There is an old sign on an old barn just outside Broadway, in the English Cotswolds - or there is if it hasn't completely faded out by now. I saw it three or four years ago as I was walking through the rain and stopped to look at the peaceful farmyard scene. It said, 'Bellow & Son, Ltd., Makers - Leominster.'

It didn't say what Bellow and his son made - only that they were makers. I have often thought about that sign and what it boded for Bellow and his son. What a wonderful age it must have been, when sons became part of their fathers' businesses, eventually became the managers, and took their own sons into partnership. How proud both Mr. Bellow and his son must have been when that sign was painted there, announcing their working relationship.

And how glorious it is for us to be called the children of the Creator of the world, just because we desire the fullness of the creation and are willing to invest our lives in helping to achieve that fullness.

It should give a lift to our steps today.

Just imagine: ‘God and Son, Makers’; or ‘God and Daughter, Makers’. It's a beautiful thought, isn't it?1

You and I have been created to participate in God’s creation through work. It is important for us to find our inclinations and seek to find work where we can use our talents to the fullest. Joy will follow.

Yet, what are we to do until we find such work? Or a harder question, What if we never get to that place in our work? Paul is clear about our response, even in work that is not necessarily our choice. We can choose, even in those situations, to find joy by presenting our work to God.

I would suggest that this is the attitude of work. No matter what our work might be, we can choose the attitude toward it. Now, let me be confessional for a moment. I like my work. I know I am where I am supposed to be.I know I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I cannot imagine myself doing something else, but that does not mean I get up every morning excited about coming to work. I have days just like anyone, when the last thing I want to do is get ready and come to the office. There are days I would rather just stay in bed. What do you do in those moments? There must be an attitude shift for us to find joy.

I would suggest it comes in three ways. There must be a reminder of the purpose of our work. Paul tells the slave they are to work as unto the Lord. What is the purpose of your work? Some of us would say to make money or have a certain lifestyle, to make a difference in the lives of others, or to use our gifts to their fullest. Paul tells us that our true purpose of work is to bring glory to God. We are to work unto the Lord with sincerity and reverence for God.

How do we have this attitude? I think we must remember that work is a gift. The first image of God is that of a worker: God created. The first thing we know about God is that God works. Before we know God is love, God is all knowing, and God is powerful, we know that God works. Therefore, work is not a curse. Our sinfulness makes our work a curse; however, our attitude toward God redeems our work into the gift of God.

There was a man who died and found himself in a beautiful place, surrounded by every conceivable comfort. A white-jacketed man came to him and said, "You may have anything you choose -- any food -- any pleasure -- any kind of entertainment."

The man was delighted, and for days he sampled all the delicacies and experiences of which he had dreamed on Earth. But one day he grew bored with all of it, and calling the attendant to him, he said, "I'm tired of all this. I need something to do. What kind of work can you give me?"

The attendant sadly shook his head and replied, "I'm sorry, sir. That's the one thing we can't do for you. There is no work here for you."

To which the man answered, "That's a fine thing. I might as well be in hell."

The attendant said softly, "Where do you think you are?”2

It is our work that allows us dignity, provision, and to be a part of the common good. Work is a gift and we must recognize it as such.

The second suggestion to make work a joy is for us to remember that faithfulness to our work is faithfulness to God. The slave was told not only to work when his master was watching, but to work as unto the Lord, who is always watching. The drive to do a good job at our work must not come from hoping for accolades from our employer, our customers, or even from our family. For the Christian worker, our desire to do our best at work must come from our desire to please God. It is God who is ultimately our judge.

How do we make our work a joy? We seek to find a place where our work lines up with our giftedness. Even when that is not the case, the most important thing is our attitude: our purpose for work originates from God, and then, is presented back to God.

Thirdly, I would also add that the way we make work a joy is to emulate the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of our Lord Jesus was our salvation. The cross is really the crowning moment of the work of Jesus. Jesus was faithful to do what he was on this earth to do. We could say he had an aptitude for his work. Jesus understood that he had come to earth to do the work of reconciliation. Now understand that this work was only 3 years of his 33 years of living. That means that Jesus worked at another job everyday until the time was right for him to use his gifts completely. We can only assume that as he worked as a carpenter he did so with patience, faithfulness, and purpose toward God’s goal for his life.

Jesus worked with God’s purpose in mind. Jesus would say “My father is working and I too am working.” Jesus understood his work was to join God as a maker. Jesus’ work was the hanging of a shingle that said “God and Son… makers, co-creators, co-workers.”

Jesus had the attitude of faithfulness. The cross was Jesus greatest work, was a difficult work, and yet Jesus was faithful. In the cross, there were no others who approved or even understood his work, but because Jesus’ life was devoted to the Father he was faithful in the work he was called to do.

We find joy in our work when we emulate the attitude and actions of Jesus.

We are to remember that God, through Christ, has forgiven our sins and has made all things new. That includes our work. How does your work need to be redeemed? Is it time for you to search for work that really meets your aptitude? Is it time for you to recognize your work as God’s gift and to present it back to God as an act of worship? Remember the work of Christ: on the cross Jesus joined God in his work and remained faithful through it all, so that God would be glorified. Our work should do the same.

1John Killinger, Letting God Bless You, (Nashville: Abingdon, 1992), 111-12.

2Rick Fields et al, Chop Wood, Carry Water
(New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1984), 105.