I remember a frigid winter morning when my wife, Brittany, and I were first married: I went out to the parking lot of our apartment complex to begin warming up the (sometimes) trusty Ford Escort we shared. I turned the key in the ignition and was met with nothing but the cursed sound of silence.
While I was hopeful that some jumper cables and quick battery replacement would get us up and running, to make a long story short, I soon found out that significant work was needed before my car would be ready to return to the road.
My wife caught a ride with a co-worker and I hung back in despair to watch our car disappear from view on the back of a tow truck.
I called a friend to ask for a ride as we figured out a game plan. He and his wife each had their own car, and he told me, not only was he glad to pick me up that morning, but he was glad for me to borrow his car until the repairs on mine were finished.
“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.”
A morning that began with winces of pain over my failing Escort ended with smiles of pure joy as I was upgraded to the top of the Ford automotive line. I zipped down the road, even as I barely tapped the gas pedal of my friend’s bright red Mustang, enjoying the feel of the engine’s growl. (I called the repair shop and let them know they could take their time with the repairs!)
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.
I remember reading AW Tozer’s The Pursuit of God as I wrapped up my seminary education, and dreaming about what God had ahead for me in my own faith and work journey. In describing what it looks like for followers of Jesus to live fully surrendered to God, Tozer’s words struck a note with me as I considered how God had called and equipped me to serve him in my work. They deliver a profound truth that each of us would do well to grapple with as it relates to considering how God has called us to serve him in our work. Tozer writes:
“Our gifts and talents…should be recognized for what they are, God’s loan to us, and should never be considered in any sense our own. We have no more right to claim credit for special abilities than for blue eyes or strong muscles. ‘For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?’” (pp. 14)
Our gifts and talents are not our own. They’re borrowed from God for a time and purpose.
How does that line up with the way you typically think about your work?
Contrary to how we so often think about ourselves, scripture reminds each of us who have encountered God’s grace through Jesus that we are not our own. We belong to the one who has redeemed us. We have been set free from sin and death in order to live lives that honor him (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
As such, we do well to recognize that our careers ultimately are also not our own and all of the tools we bring to our work are on loan to us. Our talents, skills, abilities, intellect, energy, and even personalities are entrusted to us by God. He gifts them to us for a season and he desires that we steward them wisely, for kingdom-advancing purposes (Matthew 25:14-30).
As you think about how God has wired you to serve him in your work, I wonder:
How would your mindset about work change if you believed that “your career” was in fact not about achieving a standard of success, but advancing God’s glory? (Which often shows itself most profoundly in our failings and weakness! (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
What would be different about your pursuit of development in your skills and abilities if you believed that the tools you are working with are ultimately borrowed from God, granted to you for service that has the potential to matter into eternity?
How would this shift in mindset influence your long-term career plan?
These are profound questions for every follower of Jesus to consider. At the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work, one of our great joys is bringing people together for exactly these kinds of conversations. We seek to help Christians across our city think thoughtfully and creatively about the interaction between Christian faith and our daily work and consider the opportunities each of us has to participate in God’s redemptive mission in our everyday places. This can look as simple as inviting a coworker to lunch who seems to be struggling with loneliness. It could be as profound as launching a new business to meet a need within your field, as you’ve identified an area where things are not “as they ought to be.”
May you and I make wise use of God’s gifts that have been entrusted to us for a time and purpose.
If you want to jump-start your efforts to grow in service to God and others in your work (car pun intended), let me encourage you to consider participating in the 2023-2024 cohort of the NIFW Gotham Fellowship. This eight-month faith and work learning experience begins each August and pairs theological learning and spiritual formation in a community to help you engage your work with gospel-informed purpose and perspective.
