I have worked very hard to get where I am professionally, and I am very proud of what I have accomplished. I completely know that this is definitely not the most important thing in life. I value my faith and loved ones much more than any 'job' or tangible things that I could ever have. However, it has taken me many years to gain the wisdom that putting your self worth and [almost] 100% of yourself into your image of where you want to be is definitely not what this life is all about. I'm so glad that I have realized this early in life.
I am naturally a very competitive person when it comes to my professional life. If I were honest with myself and really thought into this, I would likely realize that it stems from some part of my childhood which deeper stems into my determination to create a better life for myself/my family than what I had growing up. I know that a competitive nature is a strength if used in the right (genuine) ways, but can quickly create ugly characteristics without someone even realizing it.
One of the things that God has really been putting on my heart and convicting me of lately is the reprucusions of these traits. I can not get so involved in my idea of "success" that Satan attempts to blind me of the important things in life. No one ever regrets not working more at the end of their life. A lot of times they regret not focusing more on the people that mattered most to them. What's so ironic is a lot of times (including my case) the reason why these people worked so hard in their careers is because they wanted to create a better life. However, they ended up spending more time away and/or energy trying to figure out how to claw their way to the top. Why? Well, who knows? Everyone has different reasons, I guess.
We were meant to work. God wants us to work. But sometimes we take something good and twist it into an idol.
My prayer is that I will always have the disernment to know where to draw the line. To always be a light to everyone, including my co-workers. To be grateful for my job and full of thanksgiving - happy right where I am with no crazy feeling of 'wanting to go futher'. And in the words of Marcus Goodyear: When we approach the high calling of our work with gratitude and thanksgiving, we understand that God in our work is the meaning and purpose, and the rest of God becomes ours in abundance.
AMEN! God is SO GOOD - ALL of the time! xoxoxo
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