What God Really Wants from You at Your Job

“I take my work seriously and I have done reasonably well. I cultivate good relationships at work and my store has high ratings,” said Sean, a fellow worshipper and manager of a local restaurant. “I have been a Christian for 23 years and I seek to apply faith principles at work. However, it seems my work has little or no spiritual significance.”

Sean paused as he contemplated a further comment. Then he said, “I sometimes find myself wondering if I should consider a career change. Maybe I should seek work in a non-profit ministry or as an executive pastor for something more impactful. My work takes up at least half of my waking hours with, at best, minimal spiritual significance.”

You have most likely heard similar stories yourself. Our workplaces are full of selfishness, power struggles, financial bottom lines, and frantic rounds of communication trying to meet deadlines. We may want to live out faith principles in the workplace, but we find ourselves swimming upstream, often against strong rapids.

Consider this: What if Jesus meant our places of work to be a front-row seat for furthering our union with him?

Shifting our Perspective

We commonly think of faith in the workplace as addressing issues like praying more often, making ethical choices, trusting Jesus more, caring for colleagues, seeking wisdom from above in our decision-making, and sharing our faith. These are all good things to pursue, but there is more, so much more. What our souls most deeply long for is a joining together with Jesus. This includes at our places of work.

Our biggest obstacle is a failing to recognize that God is omnipresent, that he has made all things, and that it is by him that all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17). God is already present in our work and the Creator’s thumbprints permeate our workplaces. Thus, our work can become a major catalyst for moving forward in our personal relationship with him, for uniting with Christ.

Until we come to a place of living in the truth that God is everywhere present and grow in recognizing his thumbprints in the specific work of our hands and minds, we will struggle to connect with him in our work. Even with the best of intentions, we will forget to pray, make compromised decisions, and become conceited.

Until we value and connect with our personal God in our work, we will struggle to make meaningful advancements in our faith journey at work. Whether you are a pastor, programmer, auto mechanic, builder, or service representative, God is already in your work. Furthermore, the thumbprints, and thus, the truths of God become more evident to us through the work of our hands and minds.

The Creator invites us to join him in co-creating and maintaining what he has already given. From this perspective, work can become an amazing catalyst for furthering our journey with him. Instead of work dragging us down, it can become a landscape for connecting with the very thumbprints of God, and of course God himself.

Finding the Thumbprints

How do we connect with God and be transformed by him in our places of work?

When I come to see the God-head as already present in my current projects, an enhanced relationship with Jesus awaits. Connecting with the thumbprints of God in our work has great potential to become a major catalyst for our spiritual journey. How might we connect with the thumbprints of God in our work? Jesus says to “Come and see.” Come and learn of the intricacies of God’s creation that underpin your work. Open your eyes to how he holds all things together. It can be like a front-row seat in the theater of God. For starters, I identify three areas for your consideration.

Innovation.

Take opportunities to innovate, whether you are an entrepreneur or an administrative assistant. Maybe it could involve a new program, a new device, revamping a system for better workflow, building software to better serve customers, or creating a new recipe. When we pursue innovation, we get to become co-creators with the Creator! Additionally, the innovation process typically demands that we deepen our understanding and probe important nuances. Therein we can often get glimpses of the fingerprints of God from the foundations of the earth. Participating in an innovation, if successful, is usually a way of adding value to lives of others. What an opportunity to connect with our God who is already there and contribute to the common good of others!

Working in teams.

God has made all people in his image. We all reflect aspects of him as his created beings. When we come into a restorative relationship with him, his image becomes increasingly reflective of him. For most projects, we are insufficient to complete the project. The recognition of our insufficiencies in and of itself draws us to teammates and the feet of Jesus seeking help. The opportunity to work in teams not only helps offset our weaknesses, it also gives us an opportunity to see the strengths of others. Seeing the images of God embedded in ourselves and our co-workers is a privilege. Let the strengths of you and your colleagues come together in a complementary way. Then let the projects successful conclusion become the subject of thanksgiving to him.

Trials.

Starting with the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, hard times are a part of work. While we tend to bemoan our thorns and thistles, they can be opportunities for connecting with our omniscience and eternal God. When our backs are against the wall, we can call on the one who is overall and holds all things together (Colossians 1:26-28). While hard times and darkness can take their toll, they can also point us to God Almighty pleading for wisdom and help. The more problems and human flaws we encounter at work, the more it can point us to the perfect work with Christ we will someday get to participate in heavenly work (Isaiah 65:17, 21-23). Long for the coming of Jesus. The more bitter the work of this life, the sweeter the hope for the perfect work we will someday get to do in Christ’s physical presence.

In our innovations, teamwork, hard times, and other aspects of our work, God’s thumbprints are all over waiting to be discovered. View them as magnets drawing us into a deeper union with Christ. As John Van Sloten says in God Speaks Science, “Love what you’re learning, listen well, and give it the respect it rightfully deserves. Attend to God’s handiwork, and consider how you might support it and enable it to flourish.”