What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

When I was a child people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer would often be, “I either want to be a missionary or a go go dancer.” For those of you who younger than 40, a go go dancer was the girl on the stage of popular shows in the 60s dancing in long white boots.

Needless to say, the dancing profession never opened up for me. But what I did become was a missionary. You see, I found that regardless of what my job is, I am always a missionary. God has strategically placed His children in various work locations to be a light shining for him. Statistics say that 74 percent of women are in the workforce. So if we want to actively reach women in the United States for Christ, we need to go where they are: the workplace.

When you go to work today, look around at your workplace and see your mission field. All the men and women you work with are on a spiritual journey—people are either moving away from God or they are desiring to move towards God. Some are spiritually open, while others are closed. It is up to you, the missionary in your workplace, to determine where those coworkers are in their journeys and help them move into a close walk with Christ.

So how do you know how to help those in their spiritual journeys?

1. Be their friend. Take time to go out to lunch with your coworkers. Show an interest in their personal lives. Be available to help them when they are going through personal crisis. It also means that you must be willing to get out of your comfort level and spend time with coworkers that you may not naturally be inclined to spend time with.

2. Listen to them. Just by listening you can tell where a person is at in their journey. Sometimes they may say things that make you think they are against Christ, but in reality they be just rejecting a wrong misconception of what Christianity is all about.

3. Share your story. At some point in your life someone helped you in your spiritual journey. What was your life like when you came to Christ, how did you come to Christ, and how has knowing Christ helped you deal with life’s issues? Write these down and be ready to share your story with your coworker. Be sure to always ask permission to share anything spiritual with your coworker.

4. Ask God to give you opportunities to talk with your coworkers when it’s not taking time away from your job responsibilities.

As you begin to practice viewing yourself in the new lens and realize your job is a calling and not just a paycheck, you can begin an exciting spiritual journey by showing others how to grow in their walks with God. And it’s a lot more exciting than being on a stage wearing long white go go boots.

Merry Boehi
Executive Director of Marketplace Connection

P.S. Marketplace Connection offers training on “How to Be a Marketplace Connector” in your workplace. If you are interested in receiving this training or bringing it to your church contact us at MarketplaceConnection@comcast.net.