Q. I lost my job about a year ago and I can’t find any work. I’ve come to realize that my whole identity – who I am – has always been my work. I’m so depressed I can hardly go on. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Answer:
National Identity Crisis
One thing I know for sure is that you are not alone! Millions of people have spent their entire lives preparing to do certain jobs – whether it’s engineering, interior decorating, machinists, music performers, actors, business owners and so forth. Now they find that they are unable to do what they were trained to do. So what do they do and who are they now?
The Christian’s Real Identity
Thankfully, for those of us who are Christians we are not supposed to put our faith in our work anyway. Our value lies in our status of belonging to Christ. The apostle Paul says,
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24, NASB).
Not What we Do – Attitude Counts
I suspect if we cannot accept Paul’s words then we have a controversy with God. The Bible is clear that it isn’t what we do that matters. What counts is our attitude in whatever we do.
In modern day terms Paul might have suggested that whether you change babies’ diapers, work as a janitor at the local gym, drive a school bus, or serve hamburgers at the local joint we do everything as if the Lord were our employer. In whatever we are doing at the moment we must behave as if we were serving the Lord. That is the Christian’s identity.
Everything is Holy
Everything we do as Christians is “holy.” There is no such thing as secular versus sacred things in the believer’s world.
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17).
Comparing ourselves to Others
Besides, we are each uniquely responsible to God for our own lives. We don’t need to compare ourselves with other people or to the things other people do, either.
“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct” (Galatians 6:4-5, NLT).
A case of lost Identity
A good example of a Christian who lost her identity according to world standards, is Corrie ten Boom. Having dedicated her life to rescuing Jews from the Nazis and later fulfilling speaking engagements, Corrie spent the last ten years of her life bedridden as a stroke victim.
Did that get her down?
No…Corrie became a prayer warrior, instead, in her final decade. In the eyes of the world Corrie did “nothing.” But, in God’s view I’ll bet Corrie’s best “works” were achieved during her last ten years.
Jobs just for You
The apostle Paul taught us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
You might want to begin to pray that God will open doors for you to minister to others. None of us are left out of God’s plans. God has uniquely given each of us specific jobs to do.
Leadership Training
Remember that as Christians we are a part of leadership training to eventually assist Christ in directing the affairs of the universe…
Awesome!
If we understand this we are not as likely to get caught up in “what” we do. Rather, we have the attitude that we are training for reigning with the King of the Universe. It’s our attitude that counts, our prayers that matter, and “how” we do things in concert with God’s will.
Comforted to Comfort Others
In fact, some of us are comforted by God now so that we can turn around and comfort others who suffer the same way we did. God “comforts us in all our afflictions so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4, NASB).
Who knows? Maybe God wants you to help others who have lost jobs and who are struggling to find their own identities again.
Our Primary Job
So let’s all get back to work. We have jobs to do teaching and making disciples of all nations, baptizing them and helping them to observe all that Jesus commanded us to do (Matthew 28:18-20).
You can do that wherever you are.
This is our identity in Christ – we are in leadership training for a short time on earth – preparing for eternal jobs reconciling everything to Christ.