When I was 21 I received Jesus Christ into my life, not knowing in the next many years God was going to dip me into some real life mess, high stress job and never ending internal struggle being a Christian in the workplace. I thought I was going to be a pastor or a teacher, but it turned out being “called” into the workplace is also a BIG thing for Him.
Turns out it can be a REALLY BIG THING, like being called to be a missionary, something once in a lifetime, something in which you would feel alive and dying at the same time, being called to be a Christian in the workplace. If you think experiencing God at Church is something, you should try experiencing God when making a life-changing career move, when investing money or holding on to dear faith when everyone and everything around you is anything but God.
Apparently, God’s next big plan is to send MANY Christians to ‘occupy’ the workplace. That’s the reason, as I had been convinced and confirmed many times over, why He pushed this bondservant to squeeze time to write on this blog.
Because many of those next generation Christians don’t realize what kind of trials they’re going into in the workplace.
After wrongfuly thinking I was to be a pastor or teacher after receiving Christ, I was sent to Mammon’s home address: the stock market. It has been 12 years and counting since I entered this world in 2009 as a trader. If you include the early banking years, it’s been over 20 years.
Let’s just say, workplace isn’t that “normal” phase of life like most people think, including most Christians. It’s a dangerous and hostile place for a Christian to enter. Given enough time, at best, it will turn your faith into a fake faith and yourself into a fake Christian. At worst, it will turn you inside out, chain you like a dog to its system, destroy your family/marriage and convert you into a money hunter. Either way, you forfeit heaven.
This is just me, speaking from 20 years of grueling fight to keep my faith intact, my conscience clear, my heaven secured. The process involved the such as brutal encounter with workaholicism, blind ambition and falling into lifestyle+money tempations. Those were offset with God’s undeniable miracle of recovery from debt, death to myself and coming back to my wife and children and the best “investment return” lesson from giving.
As I mentioned above, God has repeatedly pushed me to make time and share what I experience as a Christian in the workplace. So here it is. Doing this wholeheartedly, not because I want it, rather to secure my place in my next home with my creator. I also share short-and-fast daily encouragements on IG @christianworkplaceguide, Twitter @Christworkplace and Facebook page @christianworkplaceguide.
Jerry.