For Love Or Money

For Love or Money

Not everyone loves their job. I know. I didn’t always love mine.

For more than two-thirds of my working life, I was employed by someone else and received a predictable every-other-week paycheck for my efforts. Occasionally I did jobs I loved, but mostly, I worked for the money. All that ended with an unexpected corporate rightsizing that left me with a modest severance and a cardboard box filled with the personal items from my corner office. It was the only job I’ve ever been asked to leave and the best day yet of my career.

It launched me into what some call entrepreneurship, which is just a fancy word for the vocation known as “living by faith.” I’m self-employed. But I work for the God who is love. Together, we write books, magazine articles, newsletters, web content, speeches, reports, scripts, and the occasional bit of poetry (no money there). I create things with words—work that I do get paid for but would still do even if I did not. Telling stories is what I love, and the gospel story is the one I love telling most of all.

When I was younger, I could hardly envision this life that is mine. Perhaps I caught glimmers of what God had in store, but mostly I was looking to anyone and anything but him for love or money. No more.

My goal is to do good work and to do it in a way that brings him glory, because my God deserves every bit of praise and honor that comes his way. Mine is not a household name. My books aren’t on the New York Times bestseller list or among Amazon’s top sellers. I don’t always know when—or from where—the next assignment will come. But I do work I love every day, and usually I get paid for it. Don’t tell, but it is such a joy to me that I think I’d do it for love alone.

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Galatians 6:4-5, MSG