Working from the World's Road- Where to work next?
I have never seen someone appropriately productive and unhappy, yet I have seen people with nothing to do and restless discontentment eventually follows. I've also seen people who jump from one job to another hoping the next position will bring them more fulfillment, only to discover they never stop jumping.
When we are constantly asked about "work" or "what we do" while traveling, we know that our answer doesn't fit into the American mold. What we are doing doesn't have a label, a title, or even an earthly impact, but we are growing closer to the Lord, each other, and hopefully planting seeds that will provide an eternal impact. The word "work" doesn't mean a professional career, but a career of joyful obedience.
How do we find significance when we are not in a role that the world recognizes as significant? How do we marry purposeful productivity with regular stillness? And how do we keep from assuming our identity is in what we do each day-- providing for ourselves while still trusting God to provide?
Lacking work or rest can mean the death of your mind, but working or resting in the wrong avenue can mean the death of your soul. Is there a perfect equation to balance the two? As we consider work in our next season, George Mueller had some of the most impactful points for us to consider...
First...
…When a believer is doing the work that God has called him to do, he may be confident of success in spite of obstacles. The first thing he has to ask himself is: Am I in a calling in which I can abide with God? If you cannot ask God’s blessing upon your occupation, or if you would be ashamed to be found in it when the Lord Jesus returns, or if it hinders your spiritual progress, then you must give it up and be engaged in something else. But this is only necessary in a few cases. Most occupations are not of such a nature that a believer would need to give them up in order to maintain a good conscience before God, although certain alterations may need to be made in the manner of conducting the business. The Lord will direct us in this if we wait upon Him and expect to hear His voice.
Second...
The next point to be settled is this: Why do I carry on this business, or why am I engaged in this trade or profession? In most instances the answer would be, “I am engaged in my earthly calling so that I may support myself and my family.” Here is the chief error that causes almost all the other errors by children of God concerning their calling. To be engaged in a business merely to obtain the necessities of life for ourselves and family is not scriptural. We should work because it is the Lord’s will concerning us. “Let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” (Ephesians 4:28)
Third...
The Lord generally meets our needs through our jobs. But that is not the reason why we should work. If providing the necessities of life depended on our ability to work, we could never have freedom from anxiety. We would always have to say to ourselves, “What will I do when I am too old to work, or if I am sick?” But if we are engaged in our earthly calling because it is the will of the Lord for us, He is sure to provide for us because we labor in obedience to Him.
And Finally...
Why do I carry on this business? Why am I engaged in this trade or profession? These questions should first be settled in the fear of God and according to His revealed will. We will then answer honestly, “I carry on my business as a servant of Jesus Christ. He has commanded me to work, and therefore, I work.” Whether a believer chooses to become a missionary, a teacher, a carpenter, or a businessman, he will be blessed and find satisfaction in his career–as long as he works in joyful obedience to the Lord. (George Mueller Autobiography, Pg. 168)
Each season brings us new obstacles, but the Lord has directed us as to we wait upon Him for answers. We won't be seeking a higher paycheck or a bigger house, but we will continue seeking that which allows us to carry on our business of drawing closer to Christ until we meet Him face to face. Because we will all meet Him one day. That is certain. We just don't know when that day will be.
So we ask ourselves...If we are only working to provide for ourselves, then we're probably in the wrong profession. If we're only working to prove ourselves, we'll never find peace. If we are waiting to feel rested until we can afford to retire, then you are probably in the wrong profession. If our job doesn't draw us closer to God, then we're probably in the wrong profession, even if that work is at a Christian organization. BUT if we are working because it's where God has called us, and we're able to draw closer to Him through it, then we are right where He wants us.
As we wait, may we not take the reins and fill our time with that which gives us a feeling of security and identity. Instead, may we trust God to provide. In the meantime we will take simple steps towards His perfect will in our work, and seek to enjoy each day, because only today is guaranteed... It's not easy to sit in the unknown, but then tension is where we see proof of work.
~Working Carefully & Carelessly
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