Six years ago, I saw a job posting that intrigued me. It was for the Director of the Workmatters Institute. I didn’t know much about Workmatters at the time, but the description of the role sounded like a combination of everything I had ever done vocationally.

From the first week of January 2019 through mid-March of that year, I had eight interviews in varying forms. (I still tease our founder, David Roth, and former COO, Ben Kirksey, about how long it took for me to convince them I was their guy.) During those conversations I was asked one question multiple times in a variety of ways: “What is your theology of work?”

I was really confident in what I wrote about two weeks ago, being formed in my work. I also had a handle on being formed at my work – having the opportunity to participate in other people’s formation. What was missing, and where David and Ben were leading me, was what Workmatters has championed for over 20 years.

Through our work we collaborate with God to bring redemptive change to the world.

In the beginning we find God working – we meet Him as a worker. He creates a world filled with all kinds of plants and animals that are good. They have the ability to reproduce and make more of themselves. And God created human beings as His image bearers to take care of the creation.

IN CREATION, GOD CREATED WORK AND GAVE IT TO HUMANITY AS A GIFT.

God chose to collaborate with us and gave us the responsibility to guide creation to its intended purpose – the comprehensive flourishing of the world and everything in it. Our work is the primary way that we partner with God.

Maybe you are in your sweet spot at work these days. Maybe it is tough sledding right now. Wherever you are, stop reading for a moment and consider these two questions:

• How is my industry good news for the world?
• How is your work the answer to Jesus’ prayer, bringing a taste of heaven to earth?

As we head into a holiday break let me remind you that your work matters! Providing affordable housing matters. Feeding the world matters. Providing insights for customers matters. Gathering and presenting accurate data matters. Helping people steward and leverage their finances matters. Helping companies communicate their solutions for the world’s problems matters. Ethical supply chains matter. The unpaid work of parenting, volunteering, and serving on a board matters.

Because we are collaborating with God, we can be formed into the image of Christ through our work.