Each year, Americans celebrate the importance of work by
taking a day off from it. Labor Day, as holidays go, is a bit of an odd-ball,
and this post really wont’ help you understand why we have it. Check out this article
if you want that backstory.
Whatever you know or may not know about Labor Day, the day
itself is a reminder that most Americans
spend the majority of their lives laboring to survive. Paid work is a necessity
for most of us, and work of any and all kinds is the reality for every American, whether we get a paycheck for it
or not. Strange as it is, as much as we appreciate a day off from work now and
then, we realize that its absence is harmful to every aspect of our humanity.
We need to work because were made to work.
And speaking of work, I recently changed jobs, and in so doing,
career fields. After several years in the legal profession, God has now placed
me in the realm of education, as an administrator for a private Christian
home school academy. I don’t blame you if you think that’s a little strange—I
wouldn’t have believed it myself if you had told me 10 years ago what I’d be
doing now. Ironically, it was about a decade ago that a mentor, after hearing
me lay out my life-plans for the next several years, wryly advised me to be on
my toes because God just might throw me a “curve ball.” Turns out, he was
right. God has a beautiful way of pitching us curve balls by taking us
directions we hadn’t anticipated. But He also masterfully prepares us for those
unexpected curve balls, so that if we’re paying attention, we’ll still connect
for a base hit.
The wonderful thing I’m learning as a Christian, now in my
third decade of life, is that I don’t have to plot out my life’s vocational
journey. I’ve often fretted over whether I’m on the proper rung of the
professional ladder, given how old I am and the training I’ve received. But God
is showing me more and more that I’ve really had it backwards. He’s the Planner
for my professional life. In fact, He’s got a complete file on all the stuff He
wants me to do for His Kingdom. How do I know that? He told me:
For [I am] His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that [I] should walk
in them. - Ephesians 2:10
Long before I came into existence, God already knew that I
would be. He knew I would be born a sinner, but that I would also be adopted into
His family. And, as my adopted heavenly Father, He personally and perfectly
prepared good works, His Work, for me
to do. This means that all of my work,
professional or otherwise, has been specially chosen for me by a loving
Overseer. It also means that it isn’t up to me to figure out how I’m going to
make my mark on the world through my career, or scheme my way up the ladder of
earthly success. My responsibility is to be faithful to do the work God has for
me, right now, in this season of my life, until He brings me a new assignment.
Oh, and by the way, if you’re interested in a job, Dad says He’s
always looking for new hires--He's got plenty of work for you to keep you busy.
Photo by Peter Miller in creative commons.
Photo by Peter Miller in creative commons.
