Engage and my job

At Engage last weekend, Matt Chandler (who was the highlight of the weekend for me) preached three sermons on viewing life through Gospel lens, honing in on family life, money and work. It was the latter that hit home for me.

Friends of mine who read this will know that I’ve been unhappy at work and actively looking for another job – with not much success.

God has changed my heart in this area. I’ve realised just how selfish I am in the way I think about my life. Without realising it, I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking everything happens for my happiness and convenience: career, marriage, friends, church.

But as Chandler said, I’m not just a beneficiary of the Gospel, but an agent. That includes my work. God has given me this job for a reason, and that reason isn’t necessarily all about me.

I’ve always known this about work as a general concept, but I’ve realised that my discontentment had blinded me from seeing this truth in my current situation. God has a purpose for me being here, one that fits within his overarching plan to draw all things to Him through his son Jesus. Perhaps there is a reason why my resumes keep coming back rejected, why the job market is so difficult, why I have such a close group of friends at work, why I am good at my job without having to do anything except excerise the gifts God has given me. Perhaps God can use me in this place to further His kingdom, and I’ve been too busy being discontent to notice.

So I’ve decided to stay in my job for as long as God would have me, and stop looking for other work. The decision was easy to make on Sunday night. I admit it was harder on monday on the train, when all the things I disliked about my job – the issues that make it difficult – came flooding back in full force. Hopefully this will change in time!