I have been fortunate to work a wide range of jobs. I was a babysitter and waited tables at a local fried chicken restaurant for much of my young adulthood. In college, I spent my summers as a white water raft guide, and for a brief part of my story, I worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery. Motherhood, staying at home full-time, and writer have been my most recent job titles and encompass more job descriptions than I have room to mention.
I am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way, and generally, I have “worked as unto the Lord.” But I have often overworked, under-served, and been consumed with pride and mistaken identity.
Our work should be an act of worship to God, but what happens when our work becomes our God?
No matter the profession, as believers, we should heed Colossians 3:23-24, “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.” Our work should be an act of worship to God, but what happens when our work becomes our god?
As believers, we risk worshipping our work, especially when “doing it unto the Lord.” We are working for the Lord of the harvest, not the harvest itself. Our identity is in Jesus Christ, not the title of our current job, relationship status, or anything else. Our work is for the God that also commands the sabbath. Our work is to be rooted in the greatest commandant— Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
We are working for the Lord of the harvest, not the harvest itself.
We must ask ourselves if we are clinging more tightly to the work of our hands or to the Savior who gave us the hands and work in the first place. Often, God calls us to difficult jobs and hard work. Sometimes, God calls us to rest and let go. But all the time, God calls us to worship Him.
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