Road Block Ahead or A Detour

1/13/2022

John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the word would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefor the world hates you." ESV

Today, for the first time in a long time, I questioned whether I could do what God is calling me to while doing my secular job. Now, the organization I work for is mission-based, and was started by an ecumenical group of ladies over 50 years ago. I feel that faith is baked right into everything we do. That has always struck me as beautiful, and I feel humbled to be a small part of their legacy. 

I have felt, and have been given, a lot of freedom to share the Gospel with others and support people emotionally and spiritually as needed. The truth, however, is that it is not what I get paid for. So, how do I strike that balance between ministering to people when God opens a door at work, and keeping my commitment to get my work completed in a timely fashion? I am not in a critical needs profession, like emergency medicine, firefighter, or police officer, so my deadlines are often somewhat fluid. I know that those other professions would not allow time to evangelize, although I am sure there is a lot of praying involved. The question is, how do I continue? My last job was at a K-8 public school, and although I loved working there, I was not allowed to share the Good News openly. My actions had to speak for me in this area. 

So, today certain events occurred that will change my efforts moving forward. It is too much to go into here, but a conversation I had today has certainly given me pause and has called me into prayer and seeking God's Word for guidance. Be in the world, not of it. One thing I said during work to someone today is that I should just find a job where I can talk about God, faith, and scripture all the time. Unfortunately, I do not have the background or anything to recommend me to do so. That is just my desire because I would be free to share instead of having a job (which I am very grateful for) that is task oriented. As I have said previously, God is the one Who enables us to share the Gospel with others, but again, the world has its own ideas. (Linda, I am really envying how you get to spend your days sharing the love of Jesus and His saving grace with your students!)

I am so humbled that, in this place I work, God has opened several doors of opportunity for me to share and grow. Yet now, I am not sure if that anointed time is drawing to a close or if the evil one is manipulating the situation and causing doubt. I know we, as believers, are all charged to share the Gospel with others; it is our highest calling. Is God bringing this area of my life in a different direction, or does He have more for me to do? It is time for warrior prayers to be wrapped around this situation. 

We can't all have jobs that are centered on spreading the Gospel, because we need to fill all kinds of careers to make our word work. So how do we, as believers, go about our most important call? In this volatile and uncertain time in our world, being a neighborhood missionary is so important, but is becoming more and more difficult in cancel culture. We certainly have our work cut out for us, but we are, and always will be, on the winning team.