What If I Hate My Job?

Acts 17:26-28
cf Philippians 4:10-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

When my wife and I were in college, the preacher at the church we attended used to quote parts of Acts 17 in at least 50% of his sermons. He especially liked verse 27 because it lays out why God created humanity--so they would seek Him. The passage is part of Paul's speech to the Athenians from the Areopagus. I've been told a lot of tourists take this passage with them to Athens and imagine him speaking it as they are visiting.

As Paul is making his case for a God above the pantheon of Greek gods, he says something very interesting. Actually, he says a lot of interesting things, but at least one thing that is very pertinent for work. In verse 26, Paul says that God "made all the nations" and "marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands." I think that's interesting because it shows that where you are living and the fact that you are living in 2011 are accidental.

There's an interesting extension of that idea. What if God marked out the appointed times and boundaries of your professional life? What if God intentionally put you in the job you're in now?

It's a particularly interesting question if you don't like your job. In this economy, a lot of people are stuck in jobs they hate because there aren't other options. Perhaps you pray and pray for a new opportunity, but every interview leads to a dead end. And you feel a little guilty--after all, you have a job. Shouldn't you be thankful for that? You go back and forth between hopeful prayer, frustrations at that prayer seemingly going unanswered, and guilt over not being grateful for what you have. Sound familiar?

My wife and I have experienced something similar. After the recent birth of our first child, my wife wished she could stay home, but our financial obligations wouldn't allow it. Throughout her maternity leave, as the time came to return to work, we prayed fervently for flexible work alternatives. But none came, and the prayers seemed unanswered.

It's hard to offer her or anyone else advice in that situation. The risk is either being like Job's friends ("you're not praying with enough faith") or offering platitudes that sound empty ("maybe this is God's plan").

So how should one respond? I don't have a perfect answer for that, but I can put together pieces of an answer. First, keep praying. Jesus told parables that speak of persistent prayer (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8) Paul talked about praying constantly for churches. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "pray continually." Second, remember that your attitude shouldn't depend on your circumstances. There's a difference between wishing things were different and letting those wishes consume you. No doubt that when Paul was hungry or in need (Philippians 4:10-12), he didn't stop wishing he had something to eat. But he had an attitude of contentment. Paul tells the Philippians and Thessalonians to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16). How do you be content despite wanting different circumstances? You can't do it by yourself, and neither could Paul. He could "do all things through Christ." Remember that, at the end of the day, He is all that matters.

One final thought. Saying that you can do all things through Jesus doesn't make the frustration of your current job go away. Remembering God doesn't automatically make a bad job into a great one. Even though you shouldn't give up praying, God may not say "yes" to that prayer. And worst of all, it may never make sense to you. God never promises good jobs or that things will make sense (although sometimes He may give both). He promises His life and Himself and He comes through on both.

Places of Honor

Luke 14: 7-11

I was at a meeting a while back, where a certain group of people who had accomplished something were asked to pose for a picture. Without going into too much detail, I had accomplished something similar, but not in as public a way as the others had. So I held back and chatted with someone while the picture was taken. Later, someone asked, "why weren't you in the picture?" I responded with a paraphrase of the story that is found in Luke 14. Guests at a dinner were arguing over who should get the seats of honor. Jesus suggested that it was wiser to choose a less desirable seat and be asked to move up, rather than choosing a more desirable seat only to be asked to move and let a more honored guest sit there (an embarassment in almost any culture).

For many of us, part of our work is trying to get the "honored" seats. In our minds, we think about which coworkers are more or less deserving than we are. Sometimes, we manuever to ascend that list. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, although you need to show God's love to your coworkers. But be careful about thinking of yourself more highly than you ought. That picture will only be remembered by a few people, none of whom will have any direct effect on me. But in the moment, it sure was nicer to be asked why I wasn't there rather than being told that I didn't belong.

Sinful Nature and Fruit of the Spirit in the Workplace

Galatians 5:19-26

Galatians 5:19-21 is a long list of "acts of the sinful nature," those things that come naturally to a lot of people. A number of those things seem particularly common in workplaces--hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambitions, envy. I have certainly known people that hated their boss or coworkers and that spread discord as a response to that hatred. I think our selfish ambitions may prompt jealousy or envy as others enjoy success.

But Paul calls Christians to be different from that. In fact, if Christians are living in step with God's Spirit, a very different list is evident in their lives--love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. What do those look like in the workplace? Maybe it means loving your boss, regardless of whether he or she is deserving of that love. Maybe it means having patience with coworkers. Perhaps God's Spirit living in you at work means that you are kind and gentle with subordinates. What ideas come to your mind as you think about the fruit of God's Spirit in your workplace?

One important thing with these lists--they aren't a list of don't's followed by a list of do's. Both lists are the result of being or not being in step with God's Spirit. I wonder how many times we try to be connected to God's Spirit on Sunday, but then live closer to the sinful nature during the week. Part of being a 24/7 Christian is connecting to God's Spirit constantly, not just once a week.

Stand Out From the Crowd

1 Peter 1:13-17; 2:1, 12

These are not work-specific passages, but in just a few short verses, Peter gives some interesting ideas, ideas that are far from what you coworkers might expect. Be self-controlled. Set your mind on Christ. Be holy. Stay away from malice. Don't lie. Get rid of hypocrisy. Don't be envious. Don't slander others. Crave spiritual growth. More than a laundry list of do's and don't's, this is a recipe for how to not fit in. But that's the point. We talk about our kids and their desire to fit in at school. Yet we're no different from them. But Peter is telling us to be different. "Live such good lives among [your coworkers] that, though they [don't accept or understand you], they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Stand out from the crowd.

Envy and Selfish Ambition

James 3:14-16

James says that "where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." Isn't it interesting how much temptation can be reduced to envy and/or to selfish ambition. We want what someone else has so we lie or cheat to get it. We want to be better than a coworker, so we backstab him or her to make sure they know we're the best. What is even more interesting is that James says such things are the opposite of godly wisdom. Godly wisdom, according to James is considerate, submissive, and merciful, among other things. Even knowing that envy and selfish ambition are at odds with God's wisdom, I will be the first to admit that I have bragged about things that I have done to stay on top and to keep others down. I don't think there's a switch to flip to turn those things off. Perhaps it starts with a desire for a quiet life, rather than a desire to be better than everyone else. To that, you might remember that working for the Lord means showing love to everyone around you. It will take incremental steps, probably with a number of backslides, but living life by God's wisdom rather than envy and selfish ambition is important, at work or anywhere else.