A Passionate Profession
I know too many people who have chased after a big pay packet only to hate their work and find their life miserable.
Reference: v.10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: The most commonly asked question of a year 12 student is, ‘What do you want to do for your career?’ It’s incredible that at the age of 18 we are expected to know what job we would like to do for the rest of our lives. My daughter was lucky enough to find her passion during her final years of high school. While she had thought about being a real estate agent, nurse, lawyer, fashion designer… she finally decided on hairdressing. She certainly had the skills to build on and really enjoyed the hairdressing course that she was partaking in. But one day she came home and decided that she didn’t want to be a hairdresser anymore. I was confused, but didn’t pry too much, hoping that she would change her mind sometime down the track. A couple of months later, with my daughter still against hairdressing, I discovered why. A well-meaning parent had said to my daughter that hairdressing was the worst paid job, a terrible industry to work in, and she’d be crazy to do it! While this may have been true for this lady, I was so disappointed that she had squashed someone else’s dream with her own bad experience. It took another couple of months for me to convince my daughter that money is not the most important factor in a career, but if you really love something then it is worth pursuing.
Application: I know too many people who have chased after a big pay packet, only to hate their work and find their life miserable. The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that our time is short and it’s not worth wasting on things that don’t matter. If you really love something, then it’s worth dedicating time, energy and resources into it. It’s essential for us to pay the bills, but that should not limit us from using our skills and our passion to enjoy our work. Because when we enjoy what we are doing, we give it so much more and, in turn, reap such a great reward.
Prayer: Lord, so often the hum-drum of everyday life saps the energy and passion that you have given to us. Help us to live with vitality and enthusiasm for all you have in store for us. Amen.
What are you truly passionate about?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.