One's profession takes up a very big chunk of his or her life. Most professionals spend eight hours or more of their day, five days of their week, all around the calendar for up forty years of their life. That is a lot of time spent here on earth.
The big question we should ask ourselves is are we making the most of all that limited God-given time that we have? A job is often viewed as a set of tasks assigned to us by a group of managers for a fixed monthly rate that we receive in two payouts, one in the middle of the month and another at the end. As accurate as these definitions are, these are not the only ways that we are to view work. Work is a privilege and a blessing that God has given to us. From the very beginning of time, God meant for man to work. When he created Adam, he called him to take care of the garden of Eden and work it. God's call to work is a blessing because it is a call to participate in His wonderful work here on earth.
So how can I participate in God's work?
Pursue your passion
Passion comes from the Latin word "pati," which means suffering. God has called us to suffer. Yes, you heard that right! Before you quit your jobs, hear this idea out. When God first called man to worship him, it was in the context of animal sacrifice meaning for worship to take place there had to be suffering. In the same way that we view our jobs as a form of worship to God, there must be sacrifice. To pursue something so relentlessly- irregardless of the pain and suffering one will have to go through- is something worth doing. That is passion, and it's worth pursuing.
Focus on people
When we think too much about what we get out of our jobs, it will never be enough. There'll always be someone willing to pay more or somewhere with a nicer office space. There is nothing fulfilling about pursuing our own gains, but when we make our careers about making advancement for others- our employers, our workmates, our clients or even our family- we find more fulfilment and we honour God in what we do.
Think impact not income
Money is important, and by all means it's God's will for you to earn as much as you can to live a good and pleasant life. But nowadays, the emphasis is too much on the monetary returns and people put too much energy into thinking about how much or how little they earn. Before we think about paychecks, think about what impact you want to make first. Provision always follows the purpose you want to fulfill.
