Many men I know, especially those early in a career, struggle with job contentment. I have too, but with time I may have gotten a couple blocks farther down that road. A map of how I've learned contentment may be beneficial for those a little behind.
Understand the difference between seeking excellence and seeking glory; the first is your duty, the second is wrong-headed. If you are striving to make a certain rank or position in the company; this may be a pursuit of glory rather than excellence. Col 3:23 speaks of working heartily in whatever you do. So we are not to be mediocre at our work, but excellent. We trust God for things like promotions, assignments, etc.
Second, I consider myself a tentmaker. My career is only part of my identity and serves to provide for my family, neighbors (i.e. defense of the nation) and church. It also provides access to a ripe mission field. Family and church are also my vocations, and they have non-negotiable responsibilities that must not be neglected. Since my job is only one of my vocations I should not expect it to provide complete satisfaction. But when I work diligently at each of my vocations then I enjoy contentment.
Others write more and better about vocation than I do. Martin Luther's revolutionary teachings on this are ably and accessibly communicated in this book by Gene Edward Veith of WORLD magazine and Patrick Henry College.
1 comment:
Veith's book "God at Work" is excellant. We used it with our college class. For deeper reading on the subject, I would recomend "Luther on Vocation" by Wingren.
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