TGIM #1: In The Beginning

Thank God It’s Monday.

In the few years I’ve walked this planet there is a grand total of two people I know who enthusiastically take on Mondays.

A former colleague.

And my husband.

Like the rest of the world, I’ve spent many a Sunday evening in denial that I have to get back at it in a few hours. Whatever “it” happens to be at the time. Unless I’m on leave or holiday in which case Monday is welcomed with wide open arms as an extension of the weekend.

There’s this general sense of dread for those in the marketplace or even in school that comes with Mondays. My job isn’t terrible but there are definitely days when it’s hard. And I’d much rather be in a cottage in the middle of nowhere catching up on my ever-growing TBR pile or dreaming up some stories of my own.

I’ve spent the past 5 years of my work life having some candid conversations with God about the marketplace. Wondering why we’re often told of the need to take the gospel to our workplaces but hardly ever told how. Asking really hard questions about the state of things and what needs to be done. Realizing that it’s not enough for me to point out the problem, I need to actively be part of the solution. Coming to terms with just how much Jesus I need for myself, before I can share Him with anyone else.

Family. Life Givers. Industry, Commerce & Finance. Government & Military. Sports. Arts, Media & Entertainment. Science, Technology & Education. [As categorized by Niyi Morakinyo in his book: The 7 Professional Nations – Reconciling Them Back To God.]

As God continues to share His heart and mind for these nations I am constantly left in awe. We haven’t even scratched the surface of all the good He has in store for us. Somewhere along the way we boxed Him in our churches and left Him out of everything else including our offices and classrooms. Somewhere along the way as the Body of Christ our Great Commission to the marketplace got replaced by the same self-seeking ambition that drives the world. So is it a wonder that our professional lives as believers look no different than those of non-believers?

Yet, we are so much more.

More than our titles and positions.

More than our pay slips and grades.

More than promotions that pass us by.

More than the said and unsaid by those we work and/or school with.

More than our difficult days and impossible seasons.

More than the jobs we long for but can’t seem to find.

We are more.

And we were made for so much more.

In the beginning, before there was rest, there was work. The Lord of the Sabbath is also the Lord of Work. We were made to be fruitful and multiply His gifts and nature in every sphere of our lives.

As I do my very best to share what God has laid in my heart and mind for TGIM every Monday, I pray that there would be a divine reset for anyone who reads this series. That you would no longer be governed by your profession/career but instead you would find your identity in Him and take possession of your inheritance wherever He has positioned you.