by Whitney Swindle
Vocation. Work. Calling. Profession. Trade. Job.
Pause for a moment and think about each of those words. What comes to mind
Maybe you think about what you do to earn a paycheck. Some might think about how they spend the hours of 9-5 each day. Others might think of their degrees, certifications, or skills they’ve been trained in. Some might think of an office. Some might think of folding laundry and preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for their family. Maybe you’re like me and think “all of the above.”
Whether you spend the majority of your day at an office or in your home, you have a vocation. You have a calling. I am a wife and a mom of two. I also have a job outside of our home. But most importantly I am a follower of Christ. I have a relationship with Jesus, and that relationship is what shapes my calling in every area of my life. I would love to say that means I get to spend the hours of 9-5 at a coffee shop reading my Bible and journaling, but that just isn’t my reality. I’d venture to guess none of us have that reality. So, how then do we as women understand our calling as followers of Jesus and our calling in the sense of our vocation?
I think it’s important we start at the beginning. Genesis 1:26-28 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”
God created us and then gave us something to do. His intention is clear from the very beginning, He wanted us to “have dominion” over the earth—to discover His creation, to utilize it to meet our needs, to enjoy it. This was to be our “work” before work became cursed. While it may be hard for us to imagine what life would be like had sin not entered the picture, I think it’s important for us to understand God has always intended for us to do something with the time He gives us. While I can’t speak directly to what work would look like before sin entered the world, I imagine it to be something like this… Waking up each day with hope-filled anticipation for what God might have you do. Imagine heading into the office with nothing but joy because everyone you work with got along and did their job exactly as they’re supposed to. Maybe your children would make their bed, straighten their room, speak kindly to one another, and your baby would take two perfectly timed 2-hour naps.
God’s care for how we spend our days isn’t just mentioned in the beginning. It is woven throughout Scripture as there are over 800 passages that relate or refer to work. 800! While I would love to walk through each one, for today, we’re going to focus on just a couple. Here are a couple of places in God’s Word that I hope will remind you that no matter how you spend your days-working in an office, waiting tables, raising children, caring for grandchildren, caring for your home-your daily work matters to God and is intended to bring Him glory!
Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” This doesn’t say “Commit your work at the office” or “Commit your work at home.” Whatever our “work” is, God calls us to commit it to Him. God doesn’t differentiate between changing diapers and leading a staff meeting.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…” I don’t know about you, but I often worry about what others think more than I remember what God says is true. I can easily fall into the trap of believing that keeping our home in order (or ordered chaos!), caring for our children, planning our meals for the week, being the class room mom, leading a discipleship group, and leading the PTO means those around me will think I’m a good wife and mom. Maybe they’ll see I do those things because I love Jesus. While I hope those things are true, at the end of the day, God tells me my work is for Him. He is the audience I should be most concerned with.
We’ve seen that from the beginning God intended for us to have “work” to do. What I often forget is we will also have work to do in heaven. But I would venture to say it won’t feel like work at all because Revelation 22:3 says, “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” I read that as everything we despise, find difficulty in, and all that is a result of the fall will no longer exist. We will serve our King for all of eternity, but it most certainly won’t feel like work. What would it look like if we thought of our work now as a preparation for what’s to come? Even in the most mundane of daily tasks, how can our hearts have a posture of serving the Lord in preparation for doing that for all of eternity?
I know this is barely scratching the surface, but my hope is that you will take some time to ponder the work God has called you to in this season of your life. What would it look like to offer that work to Him daily? How would it change if he was the only audience you considered? Has the belief that God cares about the work you do sunk into your heart?
I hope you will join us in the Sunday Equipping Class for our four-week series called “The Gospel in the Ordinary” beginning February 19. We will study the Bible and hear from our peers to help us discern how God forms us through our work and uses our work as a blessing to the world.
