What’s My Real Job?

Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.  He was born as a man  and became like a servant. (Philippians 2:6–7 NCV)

Every September when my girls were growing up and we were tethered to the school calendar, my daughters adjusted to the more structured schedule and the responsibilities of keeping up with schoolwork and extracurricular activities while my husband battled the return of heavier traffic and more frequent travel. Everyone was returning to their jobs. The girls’ job was to go to school. My husband’s job was to put restaurants in airports. Their jobs involved certain expectations, duties, responsibilities. For the most part, those expectations were clear, and the consequences of failing to live up to those expectations were clear as well.

My job felt less easily defined.

One of the challenges of choosing to leave paid employment and stay home with my kids was adjusting to the lack of clear goals and objectives. Although it was the right choice for our family at that time, September signaled the annual existential crisis I lovingly called, “What’s my job?”

When the girls were little and home with me all day, the answer was easy. My job was basically survival—more specifically, survival with the least amount of permanent damage to our collective mental health. It was also nice if our house came through the day with minimal destruction. Moms who spend all day, every day with toddlers and babies are rock stars, warriors, and superheroes. In my opinion, it was the hardest job I ever had, including the year I worked in a rehab center with schizophrenic methamphetamine addicts!

As the girls got older, however, and left for school each day, my job became less clear. They didn’t need me any less, but they needed me differently. I knew part of my “job description” was providing for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and I believed part of my job was providing some of those things for my husband as well. But if taking care of my family was my job, how did I know if I was doing it well? Whose opinion determined my success?

Strangely enough, the word servant helped me let go of the angst. Although the feminist in me initially bristled at the idea of being my family’s servant, Jesus invited me to look at the word differently. He was described as a servant king, using two words that, on the surface, seem to be mutually exclusive.

Yet as I learned more about Jesus and read the stories about how he lived out this mission, I began to get glimpses of the strength, freedom, and joy of seeing myself as a servant—not as the world defines servant, but as Jesus modeled being a servant. For Jesus, loving meant serving, and serving made his joy complete. Period.

So instead of worrying what everyone else thought, I decided I could take my job description straight from God’s Word: to love the Lord my God with all my heart and love my neighbor as myself (see Luke 10:27). There it was, my job description. Even now when I’m back to working outside the home, this is still the job description template I use for everything I do.

Certainly, both now and then, my “neighbor” includes my family. I serve them when I buy groceries, make meals, or help my kids with algebra, finding an apartment, or purchasing car insurance. I serve my family when I listen to any of them share what was hard for them that day. I serve my church family, my community, and, hopefully, the kingdom of God in doing various volunteer activities. In recent years, I’ve added the joy of serving my coaching clients, the readers who pick up my book, and the women who attend my retreats. In the end, my fervent hope and desire is that all of this results in serving God by showing him how much I love him.

The word servant changes my view of everything. As I wrap my heart and mind around the example Jesus set for us, being a servant sounds like the most joyful way to live. I don’t feel that way all the time, but it’s the place I return to again and again to build a life of purpose, direction, and meaning.

I like my job.

Abba Father, we thank you for your Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Jesus, we thank you for your example of what it means to be a servant leader in the world. You show us that strength and humility are not mutually exclusive, but are both essential in our journey. Help us to love sacrificially as you do. We know that only through a daily walk with you do we learn the sound of your voice, the voice that calls us to a life of service, meaning, and purpose. We love you, Lord. Amen.

 Scripture for Reflection

Jesus replied: “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37–40 NIV)

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:14–17 NIV)

Reach for More

This week’s challenge is to meditate on the word servant and consider what it means to you. Do you have mostly positive or negative associations with the word? How does it feel to be a servant? How does it feel to be served? What changes for you if you consider Jesus’s invitation to be a servant in your family, your community, and your workplace?

Please come back and leave a comment telling us about what you discover, how you are changed, how God spoke to you this week, or share your progress on social media using the hashtag #tgtreachformore. We would love to hear from you.

Kelly Johnson is an author, speaker, and life coach with a passion for helping people live lives of courage, compassion, and connection. She is the author of Being Brave: A 40 Day Journey to the Life God Dreams for You. She leads a weekly Bible study at The Lamb Center, a day shelter for homeless and poor individuals, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. She and her husband, Steve, are the proud parents of two young adult daughters, Alexandra and Brooke. You can connect with Kelly at kellyiveyjohnson.com.

Photograph © Toa Heftiba, used with permission