It’s been said that you can’t take anything from this world except what you can carry in your heart. Even your job is defined this way. In the biblical narrative, your marketplace activities are a co-labor of love with the God who is always working to bless His creation. You may think you are only a cashier in a grocery store or driver for a commercial bakery—but your work is literally an answer to someone’s prayer for daily bread. God can answer prayers with divine intervention, but largely He works through us to provide physical sustenance and care to His world. Therefore, you don’t lean into your job to make the most of yourself. You do it to love others.
Bedroom or boardroom, the Bible makes it clear that God wants us to think strategically about how to create everlasting value through our labors at home and in the marketplace. There’s no one-size-fits-all template for how to do this, but the Bible promises that as we seek Him, God will deliver the timely wisdom and guidance we need to prioritize all that He has given us to do.
Carolyn McCulley is an author, speaker and filmmaker. She has written three books, the most recent is The Measure of Success: Uncovering the Biblical Perspective on Women, Work and the Home. You can find her on twitter at @CarolynMcCulley or at her website: http://www.carolynmcculley.com/