As a Christian, I believe that all good things come from God. That includes my own skills and abilities, and every good opportunity to use them. The Bible talks about taking up your cross, and dying to yourself – giving all our hopes, dreams and ambitions, along with those skills and abilities, back to God, knowing that he can use them in the best way possible. It’s something that I’ve been trying to become more conscious of doing lately.
And yet, as a final year student about to embark on the journey of job hunting and career ladders, always trying to persuade someone that I am best for the job, it doesn’t seem to fit. I have read so many guidance books that tell me to list my skills, to memorise everything that I can bring to a job, to use those as my selling points, to have grand ambitions of climbing to the top – but how do you sell yourself without selling out?
I don't believe that getting an ideal job on the merit of my skills and ambitions is going to fulfil my life if it's not where God wants me to be. But because I believe my life is in God’s hands, I don't have to sell out on my faith in order to push myself for a really competitive job. I can try and hear his voice in those situations. I know that whatever I can bring to a job is only because of him, and I can acknowledge that in faith by following his lead in confidence.
Not only that, but in being a person of integrity, continuing to be more like God in my own actions and the way I treat people, both throughout the process of finding a job and beyond, I hope that I can be a blessing to any potential workplace. Many people choose careers that will explicitly demonstrate the love of God – caring for disadvantaged people, discipling or mentoring, charity work, and other acts of service small or large.
But even if we don’t take on jobs like these it’s still possible to show God’s love in the workplace. It might be a simple as seeking to do the job well, as a blessing to your colleagues and supervisors, but it can also include taking on the menial jobs, not joining in with workplace gossip, treating everyone with kindness, and other daily actions that show love and care. In this way, we don’t have to sell out on our faith in order to make it to the top, but instead we can reflect God in everything that we do, showing people another way of living and working.
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Written by Natasha Bunney, student at De Montford University. Read more of Natasha's blogs here.