YOUR "OTHER" JOB

"So, what are you doing this weekend?" The voice on the other side of the cubicle broke my concentration. I paused, re-focused and thought, What am I doing this weekend? There were two ways to answer that question. Should I include God or not?

I confess I’m ambivalent about my job. It’s challenging, it pays well, provides great health benefits and stock options. I need my job. But, in the eternal scheme of things, it’s not that significant.

In fact, through trial and error and lots of prayer, I’ve found the priority sequence that makes the most sense for my life is God, marriage, children…and then job. But low priority doesn’t necessarily mean low spiritual impact.

The popularity of the little book The Prayer of Jabez has a lot of people these days asking God to "expand" their territory. If you are looking for more spiritual action, does that territory include your workplace?

Think of the opportunity. Every day you’re rubbing shoulders at work with needy and hurting people, people who may be seeking spiritual answers. Single, engaged, married and divorced--God has strategically placed you in their lives! Your job is no longer just a job. In God’s hands it’s a spiritual tool.

These days when I get the itch for a job change, I include God’s agenda in my career-related prayers. I ask Him to place me in a workplace where I can be most effective for Him. I want to land in an environment where I can affect lives.

When you pray those kinds of prayers, God may not only exceed your requirements, He will give you a spiritual mission. And, if you let Him, He’ll ignite your heart with the possibilities of what the two of you together can accomplish through your job. There is nothing more satisfying!

Ready to take some risks? Here’s how to turn that ordinary job into occupational outreach.

1. Pray for opportunities, courage and boldness.
2. Build genuine relationships.
3. Listen. Be sensitive to your coworkers’ needs.
3. Be available. At a moment’s notice, be ready to extend yourself.
4. Drop hints. Attract spiritual interest through creative conversation
    and actions.
5. Take risks. If you sense God’s lead, take action. Make the first move.

Add it up. More accessibility to God + more accessibility to others + willingness to step outside your comfort zone = a green light for God to use you to really accomplish something—something far more than what appears on your job description.

Hmmm, what am I doing this weekend? Time to take a risk.

After gathering my thoughts, I stood up from my laptop and peered around my cube. "What am I doing this weekend? Well, Saturday I have a ministry meeting at church and Sunday night, my wife and I are teaching a marriage seminar. It's very informal. We do them on a regular basis. If you'd ever like to drop in on one, we'd love to have you and your wife join us. You'd get to hear about all the mistakes Sheri and I have made and what we’re learning about how to keep our marriage strong. Let me know if you're interested. "

--Jim Mueller

Jim Mueller is an IT project manager with Forsythe Solutions, an infrastructure technology provider. Jim and his wife Sheri are certified marriage mentors and founders of the Christian marriage resource, Growthtrac.