I have to get out.

Is this what I got a degree for?

I want to do something meaningful.

I want to make a difference.

In my early 30’s all of these thoughts occurred on a regular basis about work. They were lies, excuses, a means to justify an escape, an unmasked a deep desire to be known. Regardless, they were all a distraction from the “Who.” I mistakenly believed what I was doing determined significance and meaning.

My first job out of college was in finance. From there, I moved into selling real estate. The first few years in the industry, I cut my teeth selling high-end condominium projects. The work was complex, fast moving, and lucrative. Then, the market tanked. I went from selling multi-million dollar condo projects to selling junk.

The low point occurred while I was preparing a foreclosed home for auction. The house had a stench that was gag-inducing. I discovered the previous owner had used the refrigerator as a restroom to deliver a parting gift to the bank. After losing my lunch and driving home dejected and disillusioned, my wife met me at the door with hand sanitizer.  Why did I go to college for this? Over the next year or two I searched for a way out. I considered ministry, law school, and justified the searching as a noble quest for meaning.

Why did I go to college for this? Over the next year or two I searched for a way out. I considered ministry, law school, and justified the searching as a noble quest for meaning.

Then, through the teaching at Grace, specifically Men’s Roundtable, I began to view work differently. Up until that point, I had compartmentalized my life into neat boxes (i.e. work, church, family, service, etc.). I didn’t see or understand how it all blended.

I tend to think visually, and no longer did I see life in boxes, but rather something more like an amoeba. If lived out correctly, work, faith, family, etc. are just one big, symbiotic blob. I stopped viewing selling property as just an occupation, but also an opportunity for ministry.

Wait, how is selling real estate ministry? I daily work with people who are making one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives. I regularly encounter couples on the edge of divorce, transitioning to retirement, or struggling after the loss of a loved one. Often, they have joy or struggles completely independent of my job.

If I’m intentional about engaging them as people and listening to their stories, then opportunities to direct from a faith perspective fall in my lap. I don’t have to clock out of work,  and sign up for a mission trip to reach people; I simply have to be alert to the opportunities all around me. Today, it might mean listening to the coworker who is struggling with parenting concerns or going out for coffee with a widowed client.  Simply put, it meant living out the principles of my faith.

I don’t have to clock out of work,  and sign up for a mission trip to reach people; I simply have to be alert to the opportunities all around me.

Let’s go back to the “who” I was referring to earlier. My search for meaning and significance was all about me, instead the God I professed to follow. The orientation of my life and work, was all about promoting myself. Only when I began to reconfigure my orientation towards Christ, did my job begin to bring fulfillment. Don’t get me wrong, it is a daily battle to subdue arrogance, a battle I lose more often than not. It’s also a battle that I will never win, apart from Christ. But, it is a battle we are all called to intentionally move towards.