As a young Christian in college, I heard a speaker mention that Luke begins the book of Acts with a unique statement about his Gospel: “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1). The speaker pointed out that Luke is implying that Acts was his account of what Jesus continued to do and to teach through the church. I believe that it is the calling of every Christian to continue to do the work of Jesus in the world.

It was the spring of 1988. As a new sergeant in the U.S. Army, I had just been sent to Korea for a year, away from my young family. Like many Christians, I wondered if I was wasting my life stuck in a secular job. I thought I may have missed my calling. I doubted my job as a nuclear, biological, and chemical operations specialist had any eternal value. Did my work matter to God at all? 

What I wanted to do was serve the Lord in vocational ministry. However, that door closed shortly after I was fired from my youth pastor position in the summer of 1985. My options for full-time employment were limited. I looked into going back to teaching, but my teaching certificate from Colorado was not recognized in Oregon. For a host of good reasons, I joined the Army at age 27. 

On March 28th, I facilitated the NIFW women’s study to discuss the resource from Dr. Michaela O’Donnell, Make Work Matter. If you notice the date, it’s exactly 24 hours after the tragedy at Covenant School. I remember preparing for this class during commercials while I watched the news with tears in my eyes. I was waiting for updates on this unimaginable tragedy that directly impacted our friends, neighbors, and community. 

I was grieving, working, and rehearsing hope. 

I remember making the most of the opportunity when I found a stretch of open road for the car to do what it was made to do. But I also remember driving with just a little bit of trepidation: this car was not my own. It was borrowed, and while I wanted to make the most of the experience, I also felt compelled to take extra care with this gift that had been entrusted to me for a time and purpose. 

Have you ever considered that the gifts and abilities you bring to your work are not your own? They too have been entrusted to you by God for a time and a purpose.

If I was sitting across from you in a coffee shop and told you this story, you would nod and probably chuckle a little because, whether you are 25 or 55, one thing we know to be true about life is that it changes. We know we aren’t the only ones who feel like change is constant, with phrases like "quarter-life crisis" and "mid-life crisis" perpetuating in our circle of friends. It’s not "will change happen," but "when change happens."

Well, if change is a constant reality, how does Scripture equip us to navigate change? How do we find solid ground in shifting seasons?

Here are 3 ways that I found steady ground this past year. Now, this isn’t a 3-step process to happiness or success, but instead a glimpse into my bumpy and fumbling way to find steady ground in a shifting season.

In the last week of November 2022, an artificial intelligence research lab called OpenAI launched a program called ChatGPT. GPT stands for “generative pre-trained transformer.” What exactly does that mean? Perhaps you should ask the program itself.

In the words of OpenAI, ChatGPT is “a model which interacts in a conversational way,” gathering information to user questions online and communicating responses to users in a way that mimics human authorship with incredible effectiveness.

Designed in the form of a virtual conversation partner, ChatGPT has the capability to produce an essay on any given topic in a matter of seconds. (To High School English Teachers: All the best…)

ChatGPT surpassed 1 million users on the platform in its first 5 days open to the public. It’s a fascinating program and quite competent.

As an example, here’s the response I received when I asked ChatGPT, “Share with me the value of integrating my faith and daily work, from a Christian viewpoint:”

Integrating your faith and daily work can provide a sense of purpose and meaning in your life. It can also help you to live out the values and principles of your faith in a practical way, and to use your talents and abilities to serve others. This can bring fulfillment and joy, and can help to deepen your relationship with God. Additionally, by living out your faith at work, you can be a positive influence on those around you and can help to create a more positive and compassionate work environment.”

Pretty solid response, right?! 

Let’s remember this time of year and every season: The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Celebrations are soon to come, but first, there’s important work to be done. Let’s pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers and let’s work to bring the kingdom of God to bear on the places where we live our lives through the power of the Spirit who lives inside of us.

How did we get here? The challenges of a changing economy and context for work over the past several years have created a variety of new challenges for both employees and employers. That is certainly true. As pressure is passed down the chain, many employees find themselves frustrated with their experience.