Heaven is your new workplace

Everyone has a vocation. For some people it is leading other people, for others it is solving complicated technical problems, while still others thrive on physically demanding work in agriculture or construction. God has a plan for each individual and to enable you to fulfill this plan, he has made you unique. Perhaps you have a helpful heart and the gift of healing others and work as a doctor or nurse. Or maybe you don't yet know what your vocation is or there is something you are passionate about, but you can't earn a living with it.

What should we do then? After all, we have to earn money somehow. In the creation story, the toil of work is portrayed as a consequence of sin, but God wants us to live out our calling and for our work to fulfill us. Revelation promises a time of eternal rest in which God will wipe away every tear. So heaven as an extended vacation where rest comes first? Yes and no. We won't be lazing around in a hammock all day in heaven. But the feeling of constantly having to rush around and never being good enough will be a thing of the past. Just like bosses whose pressure to perform or tantrums often make your life so difficult. Because Jesus wants us to flourish and develop our potential. In contrast to some bosses who behave like modern-day slave masters and want to squeeze the maximum performance out of their employees, Jesus leads lovingly and always knows where the line is between overworking and underworking us.

Perhaps you are now thinking that this is all well and good, but your workplace is not in heaven but on earth and stress and conflicts with colleagues are part of your daily working life. But you can already experience in the here and now what it's like to work for the best boss of all time: Jesus. Because he is always your true boss, no matter who is listed as your supervisor in your contract. He makes sure that you get a job, he equips you with the skills you need and he never charges you more than you can afford. He also gives you the most important "payment" of all: he looks at you lovingly and is happy about every success, no matter how small. He can and will give you success, not only in heaven, but already here on earth.

Next Step: Do you know your calling? Ask the Holy Spirit to give you vision for your work and your professional life.