Put Your Heart Into It

Yesterday as we were wrapping up a meeting one of my bosses turned to me and said "Thank you for your hard work. I really think you have your heart in this". I smiled because it meant something I decided to do months ago was actually noticeable to other people.

For her to see recognize something I've been trying to do every single day was definitely one of the nicest compliments ever and the first answer that came to mind (after genuinely thanking her), was "is there any other way to be?".

After graduating college the reality that I would be working for the rest of my life hit me all at once. Envisioning this large expanse of time spent working (almost) every single day was a bit intimidating, especially coming from the structured world of school where you take life semester by semester, six months at a time.

During the midst of this overwhelming post-graduation life confusion I stumbled upon Colossians 3:23 and suddenly everything clicked. The verse states "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for The Lord, not for human masters". Wow- what a perfect answer to the overwhelming fear I had about transitioning from school to the professional world. It all became so simple- when we put God first in all that we do, including our work, we have to put our heart into it.

Living and working for Him (not earthly gain/recognition/money/etc) means we have to invest our soul and energy at the most basic level. What other option is there? Otherwise we spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year passively, unemotionally going through the motions of life and work. Where is the fun in that? Where is the energy-giving, life-affirming passion in that? I decided to shift my focus from the length of time I would spend working to the quality of life I would be living by focusing on Him.

Every day I really try (I say try because I'm so human and fall short all the time) to do my best work, not for myself or even other people, but for Him. When I do that, my heart is invested without even realizing it. I truly care about doing my best, not for a grade or a promotion or a raise or a pat on the back, but because I want to give myself to whatever I'm doing 100%. I want my heart to be an active participant in all that I do.

Now, to be completely transparent I do really enjoy my job. I realize that putting your heart into a career that you don't look forward to doing every day is a lot harder. I have close friends in that situation and I truly wish I could snap my fingers and put them in a job that they love and deserve. Regardless, I think we can all learn from Colossians 3:23. We can risk putting our heart into something by keeping our eyes on Him and working not for the world and what is seen, but what is un-seen. That's where our lives get their real mojo- the buzz and excitement deep inside to wake up every day, drink some coffee, and go out into the world to do our best.

That's really what this life boils down to- imperfect humans trying to do their best every day. We fail, and let's be honest we will keep failing again and again, but His grace keeps us going. Grace and forgiveness and love keeps us from staying down when we fall. Knowing that truth, I'm going to keep working for Him. I'm going to keep putting my heart into my work and life, because in the end He is and will be all that matters- so why not fully invest in that? :)

What do you put your heart into? Your work? Your side passion project? I'd love to hear!

-Lanie W.