I was talking to a friend today about work and identity. The relationship between the two is trickier than it might first appear. Think about meeting someone new. We share names and most often the next question is “what do you do?” It’s almost impossible to ask something else. That one question gives so much insight into the rest of the person. It unlocks so many more roads to traverse. It’s not a bad thing.
The problem is for most of us that our occupation becomes our only identity. It becomes the only place we go for affirmation of who we really are. Our calling of vocation comes out of who we are, but it does not encompass our identity. When of work becomes our identity, it will inevitably let us down.
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24, NIV)
Our identity is Christ crucified. If we enter our work with this as our identity it is sure to transform the way we go about all we do.
Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash
