Passion vs. Prostitution
I had two scenarios occur recently within a few days of each other where the Lord taught me a powerful life principle about expectations, direction, and decisions.
The first occurred when I had a representative from an organization contact me about needing a writer for their next book. We had a good talk and I was very open to taking on the project. As I dug in a bit, I realized these guys were just looking for any writer, not necessarily me. That’s not their fault, of course, someone had recommended me as they had no idea at all about my work. So, it wasn’t about a connection regarding what I do but just about getting a job done. So after praying, I made a tough decision and respectfully declined. The deciding factor for me was simply different expectations.
The second scenario was a guy texted me, who has a different area of expertise, that I worked on a project with many months ago. He asked if I had heard any more from the client. I said I had heard a little but there had not been much activity over the past few months. Now to be clear, we had both been hired to do work, did the job, and were both paid. He texted back to say, “Well, I poured my heart and soul into that project and then just got crickets.” The problem was different expectations.
The issue with work in a fallen world is so often someone is passionate about a job, for any number of reasons, but they end up feeling like a prostitute, meaning someone appears to communicate that I don’t care who you are or anything about you, I just need a job done. It’s all about what the client needs, not you at all. That’s why they call it work.
One of the key questions we must constantly ask is when are we just doing a job because it needs to be done, sort of like prostitution—desensitized work for hire—and when are we to make a passionate connection because God is in the work? And to the other side, when are we treating those people we interact with in business like prostitutes and not displaying the passion of Christ?
When we place our full focus only on the money, jobs, invoices, hours worked, and agreements signed, we are more often than not going to feel like prostitutes and treat others the same way. But when we are passionate about the Lord and what He has called us to do in whatever we do, anywhere we are, then the focus is not on the work done but the worship created. There, we can always find passion because our perspective is not on the temporary job, but on the eternal Jesus.
If you’re struggling with your job or career on any level, think about what might happen if Christ bought out your company. How would that change your attitude, mindset, or actual work ethic? Well, the bad news is Jesus isn’t going to buy out your company, but He has already bought you out. The only question is how many shares are you still withholding from Him to make it a full-on take-over? That’s the only way we find the passion and give up prostitution.
Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work. —Colossians 3:24-25 MSG