Trusting God on the Job
Today’s Truth
Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.
~ Acts 20:24 (TLB)
Friend to Friend
God uses our work as one of His tools to mold us into who He wants us
to be. When we learn to trust God with our work, we can then view our
job as an opportunity to provide the tools we need to accomplish our
life mission.
Paul worked as a tentmaker, a church planter, and an
author. His purpose and mission never changed, but his work certainly
did.
Many of us do not need a different job. We simply need a
different attitude and a new point of view about the job we have.
Begin by envisioning Jesus standing in the midst of your work place as
your real boss. Then look for the life lessons God provides through your
work.
God uses my work to teach me responsibility. Meeting
deadlines, completing assigned tasks with excellence, showing respect
for co-workers (even the abrasive ones) and working without supervision
are all valuable life lessons learned on the job.
God uses my work to teach me about relationships.
Cooperation, fairness, flexibility, humility and patience are
relationship skills of a successful worker. Our workplace is not only
one of our God-ordained mission fields; it is a classroom for learning
to love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable and, in short, be “God
with skin on.” You may very well be the only sermon your co-workers
ever hear.
God uses my work to teach me how to serve. The way we
serve God is by serving others. God wants us to grow spiritually at
work by becoming a servant to those with whom we work. It is easy to
serve those who sit beside us on a pew each Sunday, but a real servant
serves on the job.
Attitudes never sit still. They constantly move and
change. An attitude is a pattern of thinking, a filter through which we
view life. We can choose to be honest about our attitude at work and
we can choose to change our attitude about work, but most importantly,
we can choose to pray for God’s attitude about work.
Many people never experience success in their work
because they are in the wrong work to begin with. Not me. As a high
school student, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. My mother was a nurse and
I wanted to be just like her, so I became a student volunteer at the
hospital where my mother worked. When I told her the good news, she
thought for a moment and then simply said, "That's great, honey. You'll
make a wonderful nurse."
On my first day, I eagerly donned the required red and
white striped uniform and reported for duty. The head nurse welcomed me
and explained that I would be checking each patient to make sure they
had water to drink, magazines to read, and a listening ear. That sounded
simple enough. "Oh, and one more thing," she continued. In retrospect,
I should have instantly recognized the danger in those words and run
for the nearest exit. In my ignorance, I stayed. "Since we are
short-handed, I may ask you to do just a few things to help the other
nurses on duty," she said. "No problem" I assured her.
At that precise moment, a scream pierced the air! The
head nurse calmly looked at me, smiled and said, "Could you check on
that, please?" Surely, I had misunderstood her. "Now!" she continued.
Taking a deep breath, I headed in the direction of the scream, praying
that that it was nothing more than the celebratory cry of someone who
had just won a million dollars.
As I neared the room in question, a bedpan flew through
the doorway in front of me, landing at my feet. Furthermore, the
bedpan was not empty. I decided right then and there that nursing was
not for me, turned in my candy cane apron, and raced for the nearest
exit. Mama was waiting for me as I stepped off the elevator. She
smiled, handed me the cars keys, and simply said "See you at home."
Fortunately, I had a wise and wonderful mother who knew me well. From
that day on she encouraged me to be the teacher God created me to
be.
God has a unique plan for each one of us. Our greatest
opportunity for success is to live that plan. I believe God tucks into
our very soul a holy discontentment with anything but His life
"recipe.” We must learn to trust Him for that plan and settle for
nothing less than the work He has for us to do.
Let’s Pray
Father, I want to follow Your plan for my life. Help me walk in daily
obedience so that Your unique and perfect plan for my life will
naturally unfold before me. When I am discouraged because of the work I
am doing, give me Your peace and the assurance that I am in the right
spot doing the right things You created me to do.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.Now It’s Your Turn
God always reveals His plan to a seeking heart. Are you willing to do whatever God asks you to do?
Read Jeremiah 29:11 and record it in your journal. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (NIV).
Ask God for His direction.
Pay attention to the passion of your heart.
Realistically evaluate your abilities and talents.
Consider the advice of those who know you best.
Then step out in faith, trusting God to help you make the right choice about your work.
More from the Girlfriends
Trust can be a scary proposition … unless you are sure of the person you are trusting. Mary’s book, 10-Day Trust Adventure, will help you take that step of faith.
And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.
Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about how to have
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