Right Work vs Work Right.
Let’s talk about working right even if the “right work” isn’t an option for you right now.
The conversation among Christians regarding employment is often about right work rather than working right. We discuss gifts, strengths, and personality (MBTI, DISC, Enneagram, etc). We talk about what we are called to, what we are passionate about, God given abilities, The Caller and even “fit.” I wonder if we sometimes — perhaps more often than not — understate what a luxury this is. What happens when circumstances prevent you from enjoying that luxury?
Many who will be reading this right now are fortunate enough to live in an economy that affords you choices regarding how you provide for yourself and perhaps your family. This is a fantastic blessing and one we should take full advantage of when and while we can. If you have the choice to work right in a job that plays to your gifts, strengths, and personality then by all means, celebrate it. However, for many people in the world, including those in your own town, choice of work is not an option. The economic consequences of COVID19 will only deepen the relevance of this conversation.
During the recession in 2008, I was out of work. I had two earned master’s degrees and 10 years of experience. I sent hundreds of resumes all over the country for a variety of positions. Personalized resumes and cover letters. Networked. Followed up with phone calls. In the end, I worked as a janitor at a university in which I had applied to dozens of professional positions. It was a part-time position. The first time I applied I was given an interview and was not offered the position. I wrote the individual who interviewed me a thank you note and added “Please let me know if it doesn’t work out with the individual that you hired. I would love the opportunity to prove myself.” Months later the position was posted again and I was still looking at janitor positions while I delivered pizzas at night and worked in childcare during the day to provide for my family. I emailed the director of the department and reintroduced myself. He pulled out my file from the previous search and saw my thank you note. I got another interview. I wrote another thank you note. Out of 200 applicants for a part-time janitor position, I got the job. It turns out that I was the only candidate that wrote a thank you note. He liked that.[Timely tips for the job search.] That job served me well as a day job for the next several years.
But here’s the thing — I needed to do that job. I did not have the luxury of deciding whether I was gifted in cleaning (my wife would say that I’m not) or whether it was a good “fit.” And, 199 other people also applied. They didn’t even get the part-time janitor job. I know how they feel. At least 199 other people in my town were actively looking for a step up in their work and applied for a part-time janitor job. They were either not working or working a less desirable option.
There was one job for 200 people (likely more, but the HR department may have filtered out any candidates who did not meet the qualification of having 2 years of janitorial experience.) FORTUNATELY for me I had worked as a janitor at my church during my graduate school days. [Of Custodian Keys and Barber Chairs] So they went on working their other, less desirable, option. Were they a good “fit”? Maybe. Did those jobs match their personality? Their strengths? Their gift? Interests? Calling? Maybe. Maybe not.
Millions of people in our country — and many more millions around the world — can work but are not able to be in the “right work.” But every single abled individual in the world can “work right.”
I think that we should be discussing this as a foundation to any conversation about faith, work, or calling. Work is a blessing. It is part of being human. All work is a blessing (outside of blatantly sinful or criminal work).¹ And, there are right ways to work.
It matters…
There are a couple of real dangers in talking about “calling” (gifts, interests, personality, etc.) without talking about working right. Many people will prematurely quit work and move on in an attempt to find the right “fit.” When, in fact, they have not sufficiently “worked” or persevered through difficulty in their current position.
I once provided career coaching for a student who had a good job as a teller at a bank. He abruptly left the job because his work schedule was going to interrupt his ministry time outside of work. When I asked him why he hadn’t provided the employer with a standard two weeks notice, he sighted his “freedom in Christ” and that he had ministry opportunities for the immediate Saturday. I later learned that the bank had created a policy to no longer hire students from this Christian university because they had experienced these types of behaviors frequently from students.
This is the opposite of what we should be striving to achieve with our Christian liberties. Our mentality should not be “screw the world, I’m going to serve Jesus.” Rather, our hearts should be set on “serve the world that it might be restored through Christ.” Yet, I have observed this tendency to create a “Christian freedom” to not work for the world by “the world’s standards,” as if God’s standards aren’t actually higher.² This thinking allows for Christians to leave negative testimonies in their wake. Our mindset should be more in line with Jeremiah’s charge to the Israelites in Jeremiah 29:7 when he urges them to seek the welfare of those that they serve.
Having worked for many years with college students, I have seen unfortunate examples of “Christian freedom” being used as an excuse for lack of resilience. When we as leaders promote “calling” and “working within our gifts” without addressing the foundational concepts of working as unto the Lord, we are at risk of creating young professionals who idolize “fit” over productive and sometimes hard or challenging work. Christians, of all people, should stand out as hard workers willing to do the tough and dirty jobs with joy. Our worldview demands it.
There is another danger in this thinking. It can shortcut opportunities for growth in individuals. Because we live in a broken world, we do our work in the midst of thorns and thistles, whether literally or figuratively. In doing so, God allows us opportunities to grow in character and skills. For instance, when we work in an office with individuals who are difficult to get along with, we can develop valuable conflict resolution skills that will serve us throughout our lives. If we work in an environment with ineffective processes, we can learn to problem solve and create better processes to improve the whole organization. When our jobs operate during odd and inconsistent hours, we can grow in time management skills, personal discipline, and empathy for others who work in such circumstances.
During this challenging economic season some graduates will find themselves working in positions that are not aligned with their majors. It is undoubtedly difficult to work a job that you do not like in a field that you are not interested in after having worked so hard to prepare for your chosen career. However, this is not wasted time and it is not outside of God’s provision and plans for your future. My hope is that Christians will be shining examples of hope and joy during this difficult time.
The question for us in these circumstances is not “if all work is God’s work, then what liberty do I have?” Rather, if all work is God’s work and ALL work matters to God, then by what quality should my work reflect the ONE unto whom I do all things? How should a valet park a car, how should a cook prepare a meal, a nurse dress a wound, a roaster prepare beans, a janitor clean a toilet or mop a floor? As unto the Lord. What is at stake? The glory of God.
¹ Drew Moser draws attention to even this tension in the book Ready or Not
²People tend to romanticize the image of a bird of prey in flight as the picture of “freedom” without realizing that the bird is actually flying out of necessity. It needs to eat. Alan Jacobs points this out in his book How to Think.
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