Gò0dNews for Everyone
How To Find God in Your Work
O
by Dr. Alan Hix
n June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland
we read about followed God through the normal course of
signed into law a bill making Labor Day a national
life in a variety of professions. Whether they were involved
holiday. The holiday itself was birthed as the results
in farming, shepherding, construction, or raising a family
of a series of labor protests and strikes over difficult working
and caring for others, they saw all of life as a stage on which
conditions surfaced from the Industrial Revolution. Today,
they expressed their faith in God.
this “working man’s holiday” is celebrated with parades, picnics, barbeques, fireworks, and a host of other gatherings.
For most of us, God’s call is in less dramatic ways from some of the experiences we read about in the Bible. We might be prompted by life circumstances or through supporting a family member through caregiving. My own father felt directed to go into Vocational Rehabilitation after spending a lengthy time in a tuberculosis hospital. You might also sense direction through an issue that is frequently on your mind, or by taking stock of your giftedness, and seeing what brings you joy. We can look to our family of faith and our daily devotional life to help us become more sensitive to God’s direction. Even if you do not sense God calling you to a specific job, and you are just doing what you do to provide for your family’s needs,
This Labor Day, as we reflect on over a year of changes
ask yourself the question: “How does my relationship with
in the way in which many people work, I wanted to explore
Christ make me a more dependable, a more conscientious,
the subject of work in a different way. Have you ever
and a more compassionate worker? How can I be the
thought about your job (paid or unpaid) as a call from
person people want to work with instead of the one they
God? We tend to think about “calling” in terms of ministers
want to avoid?
or those who have a passion for public service (teaching,
This brings us back to the title of this article. You
medicine, etc.). But what about a manufacturing line job, or
do not “find” God in your work—you bring Him with
an office worker, or a position in the service industry? How
you through the indwelling presence of Christ. I would
should Christians view their jobs in terms of their faith?
encourage every Christian to begin their day with the
In Colossians 3:17, the Apostle Paul gives guidance on what our attitude should be toward our work. “And
prayer: “God, reveal yourself in me to those I work with.” That is our true calling!
whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Most people we read about in the Bible did not receive a call to a specific job or profession. The majority of the people
30 // September 2021
About The Author
Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (NLT).
Dr. Alan Hix is an Associate Professor of Christian Studies at Shorter University. In addition to being and educator, he has served churches as a pastor, been involved in mission trips to Africa, Canada, and Alaska, and participated in archaeological excavations in Israel for several years.
