Work

As someone who has spent much of my life finding value in my intelligence and my successes, there have been some rather difficult things about being an intern with RUF. It is nearly impossible to measure success in this job, and when I try, I often evaluate myself as not being terribly successful. Somehow I have found myself called to a job that very rarely uses my primary set of talents, so there are moments when I struggle to find validation that I am doing well. In this, however, I am seeing great growth in myself; I am learning to believe that I am not my successes. I am doing well if I am working for the kingdom of God and living in light of his calling.

That growth is still trying fairly unsuccessfully to permeate another area of my life--the area where I find great validation in the way others view my successes. That, too, has been a great struggle as I have worked as an RUF intern. As it's not exactly a common job, I find myself quite regularly explaining to people what my job entails, and it is unbelievably disheartening when a person's followup comments or facial expression make it clear that they don't see what I'm doing as a viable job. My need for approval and the value that I place on success clearly make this worse, but it's hard to imagine that there is anyone for whom that would not be a blow to their confidence.

I was talking about this with my lovely roommate Ashley last night, and she revealed to me that she often feels the same way. She graduated in psychology with honors and is now working at the county court. And when people ask her what she does for a living, she always feels like people are disappointed in her. Another blow to the confidence.

Our other roommate Meredith didn't get to participate in said conversation as she is out of town currently, so I can't speak to her feelings on the subject, but she is a college graduate with an animal science degree who is working as a dog groomer. And here is the thing that I admire about dear Meredith: she is not working her dream job, but when she talks about work, it is so clear that she is doing everything she can to make sure that her dogs are groomed excellently. It hurts her when her co-workers do not put in the same effort that she does. She sees her job as important, and she does it to the very best of her ability.

I know the same is true of Ashley. She works very hard, and does her job well. And I believe that says far more about their success and their character than their actual job title does.

None of the three of us is doing what we expected we'd be doing after we graduated from college. None of us has a high-paying, glamorous, respected job. But each of us is serving God's Kingdom through our jobs that are undeniably important, if not glamorous; through the relationships that we have in our workplaces; and through the way they (and I pray I) do our work to the best of our ability.

I have certainly been guilty of making a judgment of someone based on their job title, but I would like to challenge myself along with you, dear reader. Take care that you respect people working in all fields. Their work is important, and if they are working an uncomfortable, low-paying job, they likely deserve your respect all the more. God doesn't bless doctors over McDonald's employees, professors over garbage men, pastors over janitors, or janitors over pastors. Let's take care that we don't either.

Meredith, Ashley, and I will all change jobs someday. None of us plan to do what we're doing permanently. But I pray with all my heart that when we look to our next job, we won't choose based on money or glamor or respect. I pray that we will go where God is calling us to serve his kingdom, and that we will do that work excellently.