This is the second story in a series we’re publishing about how people seek God at work. Many of us seek jobs that allow us to do good while we earn a living, like this story:
Kyle’s Story:
I never thought of a distinction between service for the Lord and secular work. Paul said to do all mightily as unto the Lord and to do all for the glory of God. That said, I do feel we are placed here to care for others.
It is much better to have an occupation that serves others than working in front of a computer screen. But that’s just my understanding. The only way I can see a believer going “full time” into ministry is that the call and burden from the Lord is so great that one’s time is totally occupied with service for the Lord that there is no time for anything else. In such cases, one’s monetary needs will be supplied by the Lord.
It seems for the very vast majority of believers the best thing is to have an occupation that directly deals with people. There are so many professions in health care, social services, and education that serve humanity. Believers are lights, luminaries in the world shining and giving grace to all we meet as we abide in Christ. Twenty years ago, I left a very lucrative job in electronics to go into teaching immigrant children in an inner city high school. My pay dropped dramatically, but it was worth it. I have never regretted the change. Each day I am surrounded by eager young people whom I care for and love. I talk about the Lord all the time and have done so for twenty years. I do not proselytize, but I am who I am. The Lord is always present. The public school setting is so much more open that folks usually think. It is filled with needy children whom the Lord loves. The Lord said that as we receive and take care of the little ones, we are taking care of Him.
So as a teacher, my encouragement is to go into teaching–grin. But if you really want to have children that are the most precious to teach, go into English as a Second Language and teach the immigrant and refugee children.
