Reading
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Matthew 10:29-31 (NRSV)
Reflection
“Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
We’ve all heard that saying—and most of us know it’s not exactly true.
Every day I am blessed by my work at the church. But the truth is, even though I love what I do, it’s still work. Our work asks a lot of us. It take our time and energy, and oftentimes requires sacrifice. And for those who find their jobs frustrating, that reality feels even heavier.
The good news is that we don’t labor by ourselves. God works alongside us. God is present in the office, the classroom, the kitchen, and every place where work happens. When we turn our attention towards God, we can see how God uses our work to bless others.
Jesus reminds us in Matthew that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God noticing—and that we are worth far more than many sparrows. If God cares that deeply for the smallest creature, God surely cares for us as we work and sometimes struggle through our days.
Whatever your work looks like right now—joyful or draining, clear or uncertain—remember that you are seen, valued, and loved by the God who labors with you.
Prayer
O Christ who supplies my every need, I praise you for all provisions and for the means by which they are provided.
For my current employment, in this season of life, I give you thanks. By it, may I meet my own needs, and contribute to the needs of others.
Let me work and serve in this position with mindfulness, creativity, and kindness, loving you well by loving all whom I encounter here.
Grant me the patience to listen to others, the humility to learn from them, the compassion to consider their needs as my own, and the grace to wear well in this place the name of my Lord, remembering that I arrive here each day as an emissary of your kingdom.
Let me be an asset to my employer and superiors, working for their flourishing without resentment.
Let me be a support to my peers, contributing to their advancement without jealousy.
Let me be an encouragement to any I train or lead, affirming and equipping them without disdain.
May the days of my employment here be meaningful. Use this chapter in my life to accomplish your ends, whatever they might be.
May my presence here daily suggest your presence here.
And may the outworking of the gospel be always evident in this my work, that my service as an employee might be ever reckoned and received as service first rendered unto you, O Christ.
Amen.
-Adapted from Every Moment Holy
