Friday Favorites: My job

It may seem strange to some people that I would count my job as one of my favorite things, but for me, it's true. I love my job! And today marks the third anniversary of the day I started my favorite job as Office Manager at Grace Community Church!

I always have to give a shout out to my friend, Jennifer, who had a baby and made it possible for me to have the opportunity to apply for the job. She loved the position, too, and had been there for eight years. She helped me learn the ropes before she left and it made the transition so much more smooth! Thanks, Jennifer!

One big reason that I can be thankful for a job that I love is that I have had jobs in the past that were not as pleasant and where I did not feel a sense of "calling" like I do in this job. The "low point" in my resume would be the temporary job I had pulling staples out of documents at a microfiche company (if you don't know what that is, you can Google it). Thankfully, that job was only temporary, and soon after I was able to get a permanent job at a place where I wanted to work.

The path to me having the job I have today began a long time ago when I was still in college. It was the summer of 1987 and I served as a summer missionary in suburban New Jersey, working at a church. One of my main roles was to work with the youth group and by the end of the summer, I was feeling strongly that God wanted me to serve him in full-time ministry. Since I had been working with youth, and loved doing that, I thought that He was calling me to be a youth minister.

The story of why that first inclination never came to be would take too long to tell here, but I know that the other jobs God led me to along the way, as well as the life experiences I had as a wife, mother, and church member, prepared me to be able to serve in the capacity I do today at Grace.

And yes, I work full time. And yes, I consider what I do to be ministry. I may answer the phone and turn away people selling office supplies unsolicited, but I try to do all of the aspects of my job with a heart of service. I love being able to support the work of the pastors and members of Grace and I love that God has given me unique gifts to equip me to do that. And the benefits of getting to work with coworkers who care about me and who appreciate what I do are beyond any paycheck I could receive.

 

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!"

Psalm 90:17, ESV 

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17, ESV