As I write this week, I’m sitting in a warm coffee shop doing things that I love to do as a pastor of ABC. This morning, I led a men’s Bible study, met with a fellow staff member to plan ministry and now I get to write some thoughts that I hope encourage someone. I just looked up to see a UPS truck drive by my window and I’m reminded of a past life I had in a brown uniform and a journey that God has brought me on in my work over the years.
I always counted myself fortunate to have a good job that paid the bills and gave me enough money to raise a family in a decent home, while having a little extra to have some fun once in awhile. For 16 years, United Parcel Service provided that for me. Every day it was hard work with constant pressure to produce in sometimes adverse conditions. “The tightest ship in the shipping business” was no exaggeration. I knew and accepted that as part of being employed by this company, so I dedicated myself to working as hard as I could each day. I knew that the harder I worked, the sooner I could get home. And, the sooner I got home, the sooner I got to do the things I really loved: family, fun, and ministry. I honestly didn’t enjoy the work much and there were times I really hated it. I remember days as a delivery driver having an overloaded truck, snowy roads, wet feet, demanding bosses, cranky customers, biting dogs, and mechanical breakdowns. But I stayed with it for 16 years because of what it afforded me to do. I often said, “Life begins when I get home.” My job was a means to a paycheck.
About ten years into my time at UPS, I began to grow discontented with my philosophy of life and work. Why was I spending so some much time and energy doing something I really didn’t enjoy? Why did I feel shackled to the golden handcuffs of this job? I was learning a ton about myself and was beginning to realize that I was a highly relational person who gains life from significant interactions with people. Delivering packages seemed like a disconnect with how God had wired me. Sure, I was having a ton of interactions with people during my day, but they were all in 30 second increments. “Good morning. How are doing today? I have five packages for you. Please sign here. Have a great day.” I must have said that a million times. I so longed to have a greater impact in people’s lives. I longed to use more of my day doing the things that God had uniquely designed me to do. For three years, I prayed daily for God to give me a new opportunity.
Eleven years ago this past Christmas, I began working at Ada Bible Church leading the charge for small groups. It was such an easy decision to leave UPS to pursue this as I had been attending ABC since college, and I was heavily invested in the small groups ministry. Finally, I found my calling. Finally, my work mattered for something significant.
Because I was offered the job in November, I decided to give UPS a one month notice. They were coming into “peak season” during the holidays and it didn’t seem right to leave them a man short. This gave me a full month to tell my co-workers and the customers I saw everyday that I was moving on to another job. Honestly, I didn’t expect much response when I shared the news. These people really didn’t know me. I was just another dude in a brown uniform. But, what happened over that month surprised me. I was blessed with notes, gifts, tears, hugs, and some very warm “well-wishes.” People thanked me for my service, my consistency and even my friendship. Friendship? Really? In some sort of weird way, those 30 second conversations with people made a small but important impact on their day. Perhaps the way I worked and conducted myself mattered to people. Just maybe, for 16 years, my work at UPS mattered to God. There was something missing in my perspective of work. I had missed something important with my “life begins after work” philosophy.
I remain thankful for the opportunity that God gave me to serve in the context of a church, but I’m humbled and sobered to think I may have missed opportunities because my thinking about work was slightly skewed. Perhaps I could have paid more attention to this passage during those days:
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:22-24
What’s interesting to me is that Paul doesn’t differentiate between good work and bad work, high-impact work and low-impact work. He says, “Whatever you do, work with all your heart.” God is your boss and he cares about our attitude, our quality, our joy, and our ability. And as any good boss does, he’ll reward us for doing good work (any good work) with a good spirit.
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