I had it all. Well, almost. I was working in a highly lucrative contract position making a six figure salary. I was doing all sorts of home projects, buying toys, eating out every meal, I was loving every minute of it. The only problem with all of this was that I was having to work 16 hour days almost every day of the week in order to keep up with the demands of this high-paying position. It was going to take away as much of me as I was willing to give it and as long as I was being paid nicely I gave it all of me, and my family. But it didn’t last long.
My wife called me home from work one day and what happened next was a conversation that was as shocking as it was surreal. She was leaving. I was shocked, embarrassed, hopeless and lost. I immediately knew that one of the major culprits of all of this was my worship of my work and the sense of approval it provided in my life. I didn’t just like working, I needed the approval it gave me, the sense of accomplishment. I worshipped it. You see, worship means worth-ship. To worship something is to give it a prominant place of worth (time) in your life. I worshipped me. I was consumed with doing what I wanted to do, all of the time.
But then it all changed. I was brought to the lowest point of my life and it was there that I found my Daddy. After over ten years of being religious, it all burned away and I was left with nothing but pure love for my God, the God I thought I had known all along.
It all turned out well in the end, God led me to Texas where I found my wife Crys, an amazing woman who loves me like I’ve never known. He’s also brought me to a new understanding of who He truly is, something I couldn’t have learned easily without hardship. But the question that lingers in my mind is what would it have looked like if I had listened to His voice without having to endure the trials and the pain? What would life look like?
Man of God, it’s not worth it. The late hours, all of the time that you’re investing in your work in order to gain some sense of approval is not worth it. It doesn’t mean you can’t love your job and what you do, it just means that you can’t allow yourself to become so selfish that you’re constantly choosing your job and the enjoyment or fulfillment you get out of it over your family. Your first ministry is to your family and that doesn’t just mean providing for them, it means being present in their lives. You have to be there. Provide, yes, but don’t allow yourself to get sucked into a pattern that strokes your ego and provides you with a sense of value that you should be getting only from your God. You are not what you do, you are His son. Say it out loud: I am not what I do, I am His son.
I love you guys.
Evan
To worship something is to give it a prominant place of worth (time) in your life.Worship none but God
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