Integrating Our Faith and Work

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the integration of faith and work, and how you don’t have to leave your faith at the office door. What does it look like for us to integrate both well? Of course, our faith extends far beyond our work into all areas of our lives. At the same time, we were hired to do a job. We can’t just spend all day at work praying, reading our Bibles, or sharing the gospel. We’d be robbing our employers! So, what is the balance? Are we even after a balance? When I think about this subject, I think about chocolate milk. 

Picture this with me. A cup represents our lives. Milk can be our work, and chocolate syrup is our sweet faith in the saving power of Jesus. The good news of the gospel.   

When you put the chocolate syrup in the milk, it travels to the bottom. Faith supporting the work if you will. However there’s a clear line of distinction between the syrup and the milk. And I think that illustrates how we tend to approach work. Our faith and work are so often compartmentalized. Together in our lives but separate in practice. What do they really have to do with each other in the day to day, right?  

However, with a little thoughtful intentionality we can stir things up and our lives become something entirely new. Our faith and work are fully integrated and each makes the other so much better. It’s a blend, not a balance.  

The late Tim Keller loved to tell the story of a young woman who was visiting his church.  Keller recalls: 

“She worked for a company in Manhattan, and not long after starting there she made a big mistake that she thought would cost her the job, but her boss went to his superior and took complete responsibility for what she had done. As a result, he lost some of his reputation and ability to maneuver within the organization. She was amazed at what he had done and went to thank him. She told him that she had often seen supervisors take credit for what she had accomplished, but she had never seen a supervisor take the blame for something she had done wrong. She wanted to know what made him different. He was very modest and deflected her questions, but she was insistent. Finally, he told her, “I am a Christian. That means among other things that God accepts me because Jesus Christ took the blame for things that I have done wrong. He did that on the cross. That is why I have the desire and sometimes the ability to take the blame for others.” She stared at him for a moment and asked, “Where do you go to church?’” 

That’s some chocolatey milk! 

In his excellent book Joy for the World, author Greg Forster puts it this way: 
“If they [non-Christians] encounter Christianity through our efforts to leverage secondary assets (politics, scholarship, worldview…emotions, causes), they will not encounter the joy of God. But when they see that the total Christian life makes a radical difference in homes, workplaces, and communities, they will want to know why. Then they will know that the joy of God is a real thing. Then they will know there is a real supernatural power working in the lives of Christians.” 

What might it look like for you to stir the chocolate in your milk? I encourage you to have a conversation with a trusted friend this week about integrating your faith and work. The Homes for HOPE team is here for you if you’d like to talk to us as well. May God bless you. 

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