When I picked Proverbs 16:3 as my confirmation verse in middle school, I seriously misunderstood the verse, which reads, “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” My interpretation of that snippet of scripture was that if I just gave God the glory for my fame, I would be famous. I didn’t understand the Lord’s plans; I was very much focused on my own plans for my life.
If you told me I would someday work as an office manager at a church when I was in middle or high school, I might have scoffed at you. I was set to pursue an ambitious, competitive career. I’ve always been a planner, and I have always had a very clear plan for my life. When I was seven years old, I wanted to be an animal rescuer when I grew up. At 13, I was going to be a singer. At 15, an actress. Then, I decided I was going to be a novelist and an editor. I went into college with that goal in mind, starting out as a creative writing major. It was in pursuing some of my media interests that a friend introduced me to public relations (PR), a specialization under the journalism degree at my college.
I truly loved learning about journalism and PR and all the things that fell under that umbrella. By my junior year, I had decided that I would start out my career at a PR agency before hopefully becoming the Director of PR at a non-profit that I care about. Something about that still didn’t feel like a good enough plan because I remember praying, “I love public relations, but God, how am I supposed to use this career to glorify You?” Then, I waited for an answer that I wasn’t sure would come.
A few months later, I was applying for various summer internships. One position caught my eye: Director of Communications for a Methodist church in Perrysburg, OH. I applied, despite the thoughts of Oh, they won’t hire me. I’m not qualified. They want someone with a bachelor’s degree, and I’m still in school. I’m not even Methodist. And so on and so forth.
To my surprise, the senior pastor called me the next day and invited me to an interview. Long story short, I was hired as the Director of Communications. After graduation, I took on an additional role as the Media Coordinator for the church, as well. I truly had my dream job. God had plans for my talents to glorify Him even when I couldn’t see how.
Through my time at that church, God revealed to me that I had spiritual gifts of administration and hospitality. When it came time for me to leave Perrysburg and move to Cincinnati, He had given me a heart for church ministry. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure I would be lucky enough to find everything I wanted in a job. But I knew better than to settle for less than God’s plans for me, so I turned down the jobs that God wasn’t affirming for me, trusting that He was again preparing a way when there seemed to be no way.
Then I found the job listing for Office Manager at Lord of Life, and it checked every box on my list. Through much prayer and after seeking counsel from those close to me, I knew that this was what God had been preparing for me. I knew that this was where my career experience and my spiritual gifts met to serve and praise Him.
But that is just my story so far. Your story is just as important. Maybe you’re a dentist who displays the joy and peace of Christ to children who are scared or adults dreading their day of work ahead. Perhaps you teach math to freshmen and show them God’s patience and love when it seems impossible. Or you are a stay-at-home parent with a ministry to raise your kids to be more like Jesus.
My husband and I both work in ministry but in very different ways. We are extremely different people with very different gifts. While he has the gift of evangelism, I definitely do not. His spiritual gifts help him to thrive in college ministry. But we need people like me to send the church emails, and we need people like him to reach those who are lost, searching, or yearning, and we need people like you to be God’s light in the world.
We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are one body of Christ. Each one of us has unique skills that are gifts from God to bring His kingdom to earth.
“Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:4-8
What gifts and talents have you been given? How has God positioned you uniquely to bless the world? In what ways are you trusting or can you better trust God to use your life for His glory?
Trusting Him always,
Maddie Pease