Balancing Life’s Demands: A Triad of Calling
Are you torn between the demands of your career, family responsibilities, and serving the church? Do you often feel like you’re asking your job to fulfill you in ways it can’t? The truth is, your life can be simplified into three inescapable dimensions of calling: relationships, work, and God.
The Intersecting Circles of Life
Imagine these three areas as overlapping circles, each connected to the other two. Each circle represents a significant expression of how God calls us to live, and none is more important than the others. However, with only 24 hours in a day, you must make choices about how to allocate your time. When one circle expands, another must contract.
The Unintended Consequences of Workaholism
Without realizing it, the demands of work can gradually consume more and more of your time, leaving less for your family and spiritual pursuits. Many of us live as if our career is more important than our relationships and faith, even if we wouldn’t publicly admit it.
The Heart of the Matter: Identity
The question of balancing our three domains is important, but it doesn’t get to the root of the issue. Why are so many of us driven to an unhealthy degree when it comes to our careers? The answer lies in our identity. We have an identity problem, which leads to a relationally and spiritually detrimental schedule problem.
Finding Identity in Christ
Only a secure identity in Christ can keep work in its rightful place. When we find our identity in Him, we’re freed from looking for it elsewhere. We don’t need to hunt for meaning, purpose, or definition in our jobs or possessions. We’ve found everything we need in Him.
The False Identities of Success and Materialism
Work and career can be tempting places to look for our identity. Two common false identities are “I am what I have accomplished” and “I am the size of the pile of stuff I have accumulated.” But these identities are fleeting and can lead to an endless pursuit of success and material possessions.
The Liberating Power of Identity in Christ
When we’re rooted in God’s grace, our identity is not in what we’ve achieved or what others think of us. Our hope is based on what Jesus has done for us, not on our own accomplishments. This liberates us from the bondage of false identities and allows us to keep our desire for success and beauty in their proper place.
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