Get a Life: Step 2 of 3 to Finding Fulfillment in the Workplace

“Your Life” …Yours, Theirs, or Christ’s?

“So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.  And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?” (Eccl. 2:17-19) 

This mini series is devoted to giving Christians three practical steps to find greater fulfillment in the job.  Part 1 dealt with “the Boss”.  Today, we will take a look at how your job affects your life’s purpose.

The Bible clearly relates that our lives are to be defined by Christ not our careers: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” (Gal. 2:20)  In this, quite profoundly, is a key to finding greater joy in the workplace.  You see, American industry apart from God defines people by their careers.  If you have no greater purpose or no eternal perspective, than your life’s significance revolves around what you do.  Think about it: when you meet someone one new one of the first things you ask (almost automatically) is: “So, what do you do?”  Our cultural norm, though many would takes pains to say this is not true, is to define ourselves by our careers.  In Christ, we must move away from this.

As Solomon outlines in Ecclesiastes, there is only futility and striving after wind when our job is our life’s purpose.  The Christian must know that his purpose is far greater than the 9 to 5 grind.  A crucial moment in the life of the working Christian comes when he divorces himself from the natural tendency to find his purpose in his work.  (It is worth mentioning that there can be profound purpose and ministry for a believer who has committed his work to the Lord, but this post is for those struggling to find fulfillment at the office.)

Moving forward, a Christian will find that when they place their job in the correct location on their list of priorities then they will actually begin to enjoy work more.  The reason: they are not trying to find what cannot be found at the office.  They find their purpose, their relevance, their meaning and their significance at the cross.  Dear Christian, to a certain extent your heart must learn to “clock out”.  This will free you to follow Christ more fully, and–ironically–work with much greater fulfillment, purpose, effectiveness, and joy.