How many balls do you have in the air? For most of us, the answer is too many!
We never “hand off” a ball to other people but, instead, we just keep “adding” more balls to our lives. It’s no wonder many of us are burned out and stressed beyond reason. Many of us are not working in our “sweet spot” – a place where our skills, God-given gifts and passions meet. Pastor Steve suggested that if we were to marry our skills and God-given gifts together and spend our time in those areas, we would have more “margin” in our professional lives--not to mention, we would be far more productive and able to “move the ball” along.
We were also given an assignment. We were to write our ideal job description. How did that go for you? Did you learn anything about yourself and the passions and gifts God has given to you?
I was in a corporate job a number of years ago that I didn’t really like too much. I took the job because I needed a job. In fact, I still remember the morning when I showed up at the office, slammed my car door and said out loud, “Well, another wasted day in my life!” How many of you have ever felt that way about your job or vocation in life? Be honest now!
God didn’t create us to be frustrated, irritated and stressed out by our “jobs”--quite the opposite. Martin Luther said this about our vocations in his sermon in the Castle Church
The prince should think: Christ has served me and made everything to follow him; therefore, I should also serve my neighbor, protect him and everything that belongs to him. That is why God has given me this office, and I have it that I might serve him. That would be a good prince and ruler. When a prince sees his neighbor oppressed, he should think: That concerns me! I must protect and shield my neighbor. The same is true for shoemaker, tailor, scribe or reader. If he is a Christian tailor, he will say: I make these clothes because God has bidden me do so, so that I can earn a living, so that I can help and serve my neighbor. When a Christian does not serve the other, God is not present; that is not Christian living.
In other words, through our different vocations, whether we are accountants, marketing managers, doctors, lawyers, manufacturing specialists, coaches, teachers or even pastors, we are set free in Christ to use these gifts to help our neighbors, our communities and our societies. And through our callings, our jobs, we bring glory to God. What would happen if we started to see our jobs as not just a way to earn a living, but as a use of our individual God-given “gifts” to serve others and to bring glory to God? Perhaps we should all give that a try and see what happens!
Here is a song from the 2009 musical “Storm." It's called “Work: Another day, Another dollar” and focuses on the frustrations of young people with their jobs in the 21st century.
Pax,
Pastor Carol
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