I was sitting at the table one evening having dinner with my parents when the home phone started ringing. My mother answered the phone and, after a few moments, looked directly at me.
Uh-oh, I thought to myself. I think this call is about me. But who is it? What had I done to make them call during dinner on a weeknight?
She took the phone with her and left the room. I continued to rack my brain, but to no avail. After some time, she re-entered the room with the phone in her hand. She was looking at me again.
“Who was it?” I asked, somewhat gingerly. It was one of my teachers from school. OK, so it was about me.
I was in Year 12 and it was toward the end of the year, but a phone call to my parents on a weeknight was certainly not a regular occurrence. My curiosity was piqued, as was my unease. Which teacher was it—and what did they want? Mom proceeded to tell me that it was my Bible teacher.
That’s weird, I thought to myself. I quickly ran through all my Bible assessments in my head and my most recent classes. Everything was up to date; nothing was out of the ordinary. As she continued, I realized he was also the guidance counselor for our Year 12 class. He was responsible for making sure that we had submitted our university preferences for the following year. He had called my parents because apparently, I was the only one in my class who had not done it, which was not like me. His concern had led him to call my parents to see if I was OK and to discuss my plans for the following year. Unfortunately for him, my parents didn’t know what I was thinking. Nobody knew.
I had been praying about what I was going to do, and the only idea that I had come up with was to study law. But where had that come from? I didn’t know any lawyers. What I did know is that lawyers had quite the reputation for being dishonest and were not well-liked. Even my future father-in-law used to love telling unflattering jokes about the similarities between lawyers and catfish. And I was a Christian. I genuinely wondered if I could be an honest lawyer and a practicing Christian—not to mention what everyone else would think.
I kept praying about it, and eventually I submitted my university preferences (just before the deadline). A bachelor of law was my first preference. After I accepted a position at my chosen university the following year, I gradually began admitting my plans to anyone who asked. I received some interesting feedback as well as unsolicited advice as I revealed my chosen career to some. Regardless of their opinions, I continued praying throughout my studies to reaffirm whether I was headed in the right direction or not, and after five long years, I graduated.
your vocation is more than a job
Thankfully for me, I was reminded that while He was here on earth, Jesus showed us that your job is not what defines you. Even though He is the Son of God, Jesus worked as a tradesman while He lived here on earth. When He began His ministry, He traveled around teaching and healing with some of His closest followers: people from mainstream jobs, such as fishermen and even a tax collector.
He further demonstrated that our lives are not determined by our careers through His interaction with anyone and everyone that He encountered, including soldiers, politicians, religious leaders, prostitutes—and even criminals. Jesus showed us that people are more important than their profession or their past. He also showed that each of us has unique needs. For example, when interacting with religious leaders, Jesus often challenged them from Scripture (Mark 7:6–13). Whereas, when Jesus met a man with leprosy, it was his physical ailment that Jesus healed (Matthew 8:1–4).
We are also called to follow His example by compassionately ministering to the physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of humanity.1 Whether you are a Christian or not, I’m sure you would agree that doing so is a worthy calling, wherever you find yourself professionally.
from theory to practice
I now work as a family lawyer. Of course, that just happens to be the one area of law I consistently maintained I would never work in throughout my studies. I have worked in various law firms throughout my career, and in doing so, I have interacted with so many different people I would never have met otherwise. While I certainly do not walk into appointments telling new clients or other professionals that I am a Christian, I do maintain my personal beliefs—including being vegetarian, not drinking alcohol, and not working from sunset Friday evening to sunset Saturday evening. In a secular workplace, those lifestyle choices alone are certainly enough to stand out, which creates many opportunities to explain the faith foundation that informs those lifestyle choices.
To my surprise, even when I have had a purely professional relationship with clients, God has still been present in those exchanges. At the conclusion of one of my court cases, I received a card from one of my clients thanking me for my work. Inside the card, they wrote that I had been an answer to their prayers. I had never spoken to that client about religion or the fact that I was a Christian, but unbeknownst to me, God had still used me in their life to strengthen their faith in Him.
While He was on earth, Jesus encouraged us to meet others where they are and to help them with what they need. Someone sleeping in their car may not be ready for a Bible lesson, but they might need a blanket to get them through a cold night. Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:35, 36, ESV2). And, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, ESV).
It is by our actions to others that Jesus will use us. No matter your profession, your background, or where you are, God can find a way to use you to meet the needs of others. Sometimes it will be obvious when God creates those opportunities, like in conversation with your coworkers when you are asked why you attend church on the weekend or pray before you eat (if you’re a Christian). Even if you aren’t a Christian, you may be going about your regular job on a normal day and might have no idea that God is using you in that moment. All God needs from you is a willing and open heart. With that in place, He will find a way to use you wherever you are.
Brianna Watson is a solicitor specializing in family law based in Adelaide, South Australia.
