Q:After college, I ended up taking what I thought was a temporary job, and five years later I’m still in it. Why hasn’t God given me something exciting, instead of a job I don’t really care about?
A: Millions of Americans are celebrating Labor Day, an annual holiday set aside to honor our working men and women, and to express gratitude for the important contributions they make to society. Where would we be without them?
But Labor Day, I believe, should also be a time when we ask God to help us see our work from His point of view. Let’s be honest; work isn’t always exciting, and when we focus only on its problems or spend our time wishing we were doing something else, we’ll probably end up resentful, angry or bored.
But when we begin to see our work from God’s point of view, our attitude will be much different. We’ll begin to realize that God gave our work to us, and because of this it has dignity and importance. For most of His life, Jesus worked with His hands as a carpenter; the Apostle Paul was a tentmaker. From the very beginning of the human race, even before sin entered the world, the Bible says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).
Begin by committing your work, and your whole life, to Jesus Christ. Then thank Him for giving you a job, and ask Him to help you do it well. And if He has another job in your future, trust Him to lead you to it in His time. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23).
