French Fries and Faith

Perhaps St. Patrick’s day reminded me of the ten months I served food at Bennigan’s. If you don’t remember, Bennigan’s was an Irish-themed restaurant that served a wide variety of food. It was known for appetizers and the “15 minutes or it’s free” lunch guarantee. It was the first job I had when Jill and I were newlyweds and it was good work for a Seminary student.

In my first few months, I thought that studying to be a Pastor was completely separate from serving food. One was a spiritual calling and the other involved a lot of French fries. Most of our team saw their job as a transitional role while we worked through grad school or waited for our “real” job.

Too often, we separate our current job from our “real job.” We struggle to see a connection between work (or school or activities) and faith. This leads to a strange division in our lives – we are Christ-followers on the weekend and employees during the workweek. Then we add in some other identifier for everything else we do.

In Colossians 3:17, Paul wrote, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” There was no division for Paul. Everything was to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. Whether he was preaching, making tents (Acts 18:2-4), or a passenger on a ship (Acts 27) he was a disciple.

While I worked at Benningan’s, our staff would ask each other “what are you planning to do with your life?” After all, none of us planned to sell Monte Cristo sandwiches for the rest of our lives. Once they discovered I was planning to be a Pastor, I became the unofficial chaplain of our restaurant. It took several conversations for me to realize what an incredible opportunity I had. My job was no longer serving sandwiches – it was to be a missionary to the staff and guests of our restaurant.

What is your perspective on the various roles you play throughout the week? Are they separated from faith – or are you integrating faith into everything you do?

Professor Linda Peacore from Fuller Seminary reminds us that “What matters is not the kind of work we do, but that we do our work as faithful disciples. God calls and we respond by serving God where God has placed us, be it as a student or teacher, a mother or artist, a pastor or plumber. Our task is… to shape our work into a Christian calling.”

Let’s not separate our faith from our work. Whether you serve sandwiches, create spreadsheets, or change diapers, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

* Vocation And The Christian Life Linda Peacore, October 6, 2010