Even
when well in to my late thirties, at my last church I was regularly
invited to join the student meeting after the main service.
Well-intentioned no doubt. But all those who invited me could see
was the cycling gear, my boyish good looks and put two and two
together and had assumed I was a student. I'd been pigeon-holed.
We
all do it to other people. But as believers in the workplace we
often pigeon-hole ourselves.
Mark
Greene of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity describes
the problem like this. 'We lead ourselves to believe that really
holy people become missionaries, moderately holy people become
pastors, and people who are not much use to God get a job.'
So
I work in life insurance, dealing with numbers and project managers
all day. Therefore, I am not much use to God.
Your
turn now, please delete as appropriate: I work in
education/health/finance/engineering/
sales/leisure/government/retail/administration, therefore I am not
much use to God.
In
last Sunday's teaching on The Parable of the Weeds (Matt 13:24-30) we
learned that Jesus tells us otherwise. The good seed (God's family –
us!) has been sown across the whole field (the world). We're growing
amongst the weeds to bear fruit for God. That's wherever we land and
in whatever situation He places us in. No holy huddles here please!
We
don't belong in a pigeon-hole. We belong where God places us and
that's where we can bear fruit for Him.
Let's
try again, please rejoice as appropriate: I work in
education/health/finance/engineering/
sales/leisure/government/retail/administration, therefore I am much
use to God.
See
what you're a part of?
Further
Reading:
