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PROGRAM D-8304
What are some of the most valuable things God has taught you through your job? I think we can sometimes get so weighed down with the day-to-day busyness and difficulties of our jobs that we fail to see all the good things God is doing in and through us through those jobs. I mentioned that one valuable lesson you often learn in a job is how to get along with people you may not like that much.
Another thing you can learn through your job is how to cast all your care on Jesus because he cares for you. Instead of taking those problems home with you every day and dumping on your family or friends, you can learn to trust God to work all things out for your good and leave those cares and concerns in his hands—so that you can spend a carefree evening with your loved ones. Do you realize how absolutely important it is to learn to draw boundaries in your thought life? To not allow yourself to think about things over which you have no control? To cast all your care on Jesus regularly—every day—so that the joy of the Lord can be your strength? This is an eternally important thing you can learn through your job.
In Mark 9:35, Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” When you were young, did you ever tell anyone that you wanted to be a servant when you grew up? I doubt it. Yet, Jesus made it clear that his disciples must learn to be a servant to all. What better place to learn that lesson than on your job each day!
The way we serve God is by serving others, and developing a servant heart and attitude takes practice. You must be intentional about it; you must be humble and do it out of love for Jesus rather than to get recognition. Think of ways you could serve your coworkers, your management, and your employees. You could serve by choosing to go the extra mile to help someone get their job done (even though you think they could have done it themselves if they hadn’t wasted time talking on the phone!); help someone learn a new skill; stay late to give a helping hand to your boss; do things for which you may get no credit or recognition. These are everyday things which can teach you the joy of being a servant—and that means you’re growing to be more like Jesus!