A Job, a Career, or a Calling

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, —Colossians 3:23

In his book, The Happiness Advantage, author Shawn Anchor describes how people tend to categorize their jobs. He cites the research conducted by Yale Psychologist Amy Wrzesniewski. After years and hundreds of interviews with people employed in every conceivable profession, she isolated three “work orientations” people bring to the workplace. Some see their work as a job, actually just a chore that provides a paycheck. Some primarily see the work they do as a career, something that they hope, over time, will provide the esteem that comes with success. Still others see their work as a calling, one that contributes to the betterment of society and gives them meaning and purpose.

While Wrzesniewski’s focus is strictly secular, helping people think more deeply about their motives, her research provides an example for those of us who seek biblical wisdom.

Writing to an audience of “employees,” obviously burdened with a significantly different social structure than ours, the Apostle Paul writes this.

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:22-24)

Many of us have had to endure workplace environments that, quite frankly, have tested our faith more than we anticipated. And, while no workplace is perfect, the simple truth is that some supervisors are flat out hard to work for, perhaps even impossible to please. But no matter, whether we work in a more comfortable environment or find it hard to even show up every day, it’s important to keep this foundational truth in mind. The workplace frames a divine calling, because the One we’re really working for is Jesus. And, regardless of where they might show up on the org chart, the people around us are always watching.

For a Jesus-follower, the question might be that simple. Simple Jesus actually is your boss (AKA: Lord), are you pursuing His agenda for your workplace?

In the 1960’s television show Get Smart, Maxwell Smart (aka: Agent 86) was equal parts super-spy and klutz, saving the free world every time he got out of his own way. He would regularly pull up to a curb, jump out of his cool red Sunbeam Tiger, and then hurry into some small business, maybe a bookstore or a laundromat. Of course, the store was simply a front for what was really going on behind the back wall or in the basement. Max would whisper something to the person most people thought was simply an employee, something that seemed rather random. Recognizing it as secret code, the “employee” would then flip an under-the-counter switch, revealing a passageway to what was really going on at that address.

God wants His children to enjoy life. He wants us to be respected in the workplace. But an eternal calling waits behind each of those walls.

Look at it this way. We’re Max! Our workplace is simply a front for what God really wants to accomplish in us and through us. Gainful employment provides two things. It provides a paycheck, which pays the bills. But it also provides a network of relationships, which open up passageways to accomplish something really big. The chance to do something eternal.

When you’re able to flip that switch, you’re ready to embark on the greatest journey of your life!