If you’re like me, you’ve probably had a few jobs in your past. Perhaps your first job was simply to have some extra cash, to get you through college, or maybe to save up for your first car. The next job or two were most likely for the paycheck and to add to your resume for your career goals. It seems that many focus on secular values when it comes to securing a job – The paycheck and the status the job holds. These are of course reasonable things to consider. You need the resources that money provides and your ego wants to hold onto a status from a job title. However I think sometimes there is one part to the equation that many often neglect -applying for “jobs” that fit our calling. In other words, how often do we forget to ask God if He is hiring for spiritual work? This might seem silly, but it truly is an important aspect to wellbeing.
As believers we know that there is a spiritual realm that resides in our midst. Oftentimes we may forget it is there because we experience the physical world with our five senses, while the spiritual realm only has one sense – often referred to as the sixth sense. How powerful must the spiritual realm be if we have only one sense to access it, yet it is the ultimate sense, the one that transcends all others?
Oftentimes a person gets in the cycle of trying something new that they are passionate about, failing, and ends up doubting the process, themselves, and if they even have a calling all at the same time. “Lord, I take refuge in You from cowardice.” These are the words of a college professor used to silence his fears. One might think, what does cowardice have to do with our calling? Most of us often doubt ourselves instead of doubting our doubts. In other words, a coward lacks courage. It is someone who discredits their own abilities to be who God created them to be. In a way, when someone has cowardice, they are more aligned in their ego instead of being aligned with God to bring out their best & higher self. We all have the capability to activate our high selves; it just takes a genuine desire and a genuine inner work ethic.
“You start by getting out of your own way.” That is a saying I’m sure many have heard for a plethora of different endeavors. Predictably, This idea also applies to getting hired by God. One might think, “What does getting hired by God even mean?” I believe there are many answers to this question because it depends on what kind of spiritual work God has called you to. Oftentimes many people are living in God’s calling without knowing it, while others don’t know if they are. To truly know if we are working for God, we must get to the heart and core of ourselves and ask the “Why” questions. If the answers include something along the lines of “to help others, to make an impact, to bring people closer to God, to teach others, to bring others into the kingdom of God, to make people happy, etc” you know for sure that your heart is in the right place: aligned with God. If the answers to your “Why” questions includes things such as status, fame, luxury, money, etc., you may want to reflect on where your heart is at. The most ironic thing that we even see in scripture, is that those who do God’s work on earth often will receive the rewards and luxury we all want; but not in the physical word. Scriptures give us constant assurance that these things will be among us in the spiritual realm; we will have endless abundance in the kingdom of God.
As I Obey and serve you, I spend my days in plenty and my years in prosperity. I eat the good in the land.
Job 36:11
The Lord brings me into my promised land and gives me great and splendid cities which I did not build, houses full of all the good things I did not fill, vineyards and olive trees which I did not plant. The Lord satisfies me with good things; I eat and I am abundantly satisfied.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
Mark 10:17-31
We can see that God has endless abundance for those who enter the Kingdom of God. After reflecting on these verses and the idea of working in the spiritual realm, one can’t help but reflect or reconsider their job or career goals. Are we prioritizing secular work and careers over spiritual careers? Yes, money is important to have resources for ourselves and our family for day-to-day living. However, how much more important is the wealth we create for our spiritual realm which is eternal? Perhaps the next time you are in-between-jobs, consider whether God is creating space for you to talk to you, align you, and re-direct you into your spiritual calling – whether within or outside your career. As they say, “rejection is just divine redirection,” and honestly that is a deeply true cliché. Whether you incorporate your spiritual work into your career, or you find time for spiritual work outside your career, you can know deep down that God is so proud of you for doing the spiritual work you are called to do in the spiritual realm, that it is recognized, and it will be rewarded.
