Thank you Jonny and Michelle for a wonderful conversation on Thursday.  It is such a blessing to come across kindred spirits like you two.  I am grateful for your friendship.  I am also thankful to God that He brought you home to London safely.

Michelle gave me some new perspective on the topic of work satisfaction.  For a little while, I’ve suspected that my vocation should be something that I love, so if I feel like I’m dieing in my job, then I’m in the wrong profession.  However, Michelle pointed out that the New Testament talks very little about work.  Peter never mentions his fishing livelihood and Paul talks very little about the tent-making business he uses to support his missionary journeys.  Perhaps even the super-apostles Peter and Paul themselves went about the drudgery of a “9 to 5” job even though their true passion was for apostleship and evangelism.  Did they find their calling?  I believe they did.  Did they work in the area of their calling?  Maybe not. 

I won’t go so far as to say that God does not want us to enjoy the work He’s given us to do.  The first task God gave to Adam was the work of tending the garden (Gen 2:5, 2:15).  God made us to work.  The writer of Ecclesiastes, in all his wisdom, proclaims that there’s nothing better for a man to do but rejoice in his work – his heritage (Ecc 3:22, 5:18-19).  And Paul teaches that whatever we do (for work), do it as if you were doing it for God (Col 3:23).  (However, Paul is talking about slaves in this context.  Perhaps Paul doesn’t promote work-life satisfaction because how satisfying could being a slave really be?  Hmm…)

One more interesting tidbit from our conversation was Jonny’s comment about fulfillment.  God is glorified when His servants fulfill their earthly potential, but God can also be glorified when His servants don’t fulfill their earthly potential.  If we take the example of writing, some people become famous (earthly standard) by writing a best-seller book.  God is glorified because this author used his gift to bless the masses.  However, sometimes there are equally intelligent and gifted people who choose not to become published and choose only to impact their smaller circle of influence.  God is also glorified in the non-fulfillment of this person’s earthly potential because this person has chosen to remain in obscurity (again, an earthly standard).  Jonny, am I representing your idea correctly?

I’m still contractless for September.  But waiting on the Lord is not a bad place to be, I realize.  I’m grateful for a chance to trust in His perfect provision (even though I have a tendency to be an anxious person).  “Thank You Lord for giving me a summer where I don’t have to worry about class preparations.  Instead, You’ve given me this time to read and grow in the art of teaching and in classroom management.”