Doin God's Work

“God is a good worker but loves to be helped.” ~ Basque Proverb

It had been a “rollercoaster ride” of a day. Fridays were always hectic. But this one had gotten off to a less than auspicious start. Out of work, and looking for a job for the past six months, I had finally made it to the “final three.” Interviews for the top three candidates had been held on the previous Thursday.

Leaving the building afterwards, I felt I had nailed the interview. But after waiting tensely for over a week, the call came that morning as I was leaving the house. “We so much enjoyed interviewing you, but we found a candidate whose skills were more closely aligned with what we were looking for,” said the chirpy voice.

I thanked her graciously, clicked off, and headed for my parish to serve at morning Mass ­– still unemployed. Fridays are my day to give the homily and this Friday was no different.

As I was greeting in the narthex after Mass, a group of teenage voices started to sing a familiar tune. I turned to find 20-plus teenagers singing Happy Birthday… to me! My birthday had been earlier in the week, but it didn’t matter; here they were singing to me.
Afterwards, I ducked into the sacristy.

Removing my vestments and slipping into my jacket, I headed out the door to my little, old, pickup truck. Fridays are also the day I do a prayer service and visit with residents at the senior care center near the parish.

My cell phone blinged as I was climbing into the truck. Quickly checking the screen, I instantly recognized the name of the sender. Her Dad, an old friend of mine, had died in the spring.

Clicking open the email, I read a heartfelt text thanking me for a blog post I had sent at 5:00 am that morning: “Your writing reminded me that I need to remember the great times we had while he was here” it read. 

Tossing the phone onto the passenger’s seat, I pulled my keys from my pocket. The truck reluctantly came to life as I turned the key in the ignition. I rolled out of the parking lot and headed for the senior facility.

Once there, I conducted a Communion service. One of the attendees came with her dog. She wasn’t Catholic, but she likes to participate. I blessed her (and her dog) anyway.

During my room-to room-visits, a man shared with me that he had been diagnosed with cancer and probably had less than four months to live. I sat and listened to him as he talked about his life.

At 11:15 am, my rounds completed, I was sitting in the activities coordinator’s office. Flo asked how things were going. I quickly recapped the events of the day including the early morning phone call. “I just wish I could find a job” I concluded. 

“Deacon Jim,” she replied with a smile, “Sounds to me like you are employed. You’re just not getting paid for it.”

Someone once wrote that “if you want to make God smile, tell him your plans.” Many of us go through life allowing our work, our occupations, our careers to define who we are. In doing so, we surrender ourselves to the whims of the world. We may even go so far as to say we are looking for “meaningful work.”

But, when those jobs go away, we can be left wondering who we are and doubting our self worth. Careers are a slippery slope because, sooner or later, they end. And whatever gratification they provide, ends with them.

As Christian stewards we hold a different view. God created each of us with a unique combination of gifts to be used to better the world. We are called to identify, cultivate, and utilize those gifts.

Careers can temporarily fulfill our egos, but doing God’s work can fill our hearts and our spirits. Doing what God created us to do rarely fails to give us satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

Certainly, jobs are necessary to provide material sustenance, but sustaining our spirits is even more important. God doesn’t pay us in cash though we often wish he would, but you can’t beat his retirement plan!

Dear God: Thy will be done – even when I don’t like the job description.
 

“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, and poet (1803-1882)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

“90 Second Stewardship” is a reflection on being a Christian Steward in a secular and sometimes harsh world. This reflection is written by Deacon James E. Carper of Simi Valley, California. All rights are reserved. You are welcome and encouraged to forward this e-mail to family and friends provided the”© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” is included along with this message. Organizations, whether for or non profit, are required to receive written approval before reproducing these reflections. If written approval is given the “© 2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.” must be included along with this message.