Leadership @ Entry Level
- Jan 1, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 18, 2024
I spent my first twelve years after high school working entry-level jobs in hotels and restaurants. Four of those years were absolutely terrible, but eight were pretty great. And I think I know why.
It wasn't because I started getting paid more (I didn't). There were two reasons that led to my happiness in a job I didn't love.
1. There’s no real meaning apart from God and he started intervening in my life around that time. I had a new lease on life. I went from living for an earthly empire of dirt to an eternal purpose that makes impact forever. Therefore, whatever you do, do for the name of the Lord Jesus (read Col 3:17; 1 Cor 10:31).
But that’s easy for a pastor to say! His work has direct meaning! Try keeping that optimism in the trenches. Even though God gave me eternal value and purpose, I was still eager to find more purpose in my work, like we all want. Why wasn't “having a ministry to my co-workers” enough? What's my purpose? My Story? I wrestled with this for years.
2. Here's the second reason, something I realized only after years of being a Christian server. Every job has meaning the moment you find that God’s love & characteristics can be reflected through your work (except jobs that utilize stealing, lying, sexuality, or other sin).
Don’t dichotomize working from working unto the Lord.
All work should be unto the Lord.
So this article’s written to the entry-level employees as well as the Presidents. The entry-level because you are the tool to minister. The President because you can manage the tools to do the right job.
Consider the following industries and get creative on how to find God in them:
Food & Beverage Industry
The human experience on this side of heaven is to eat, drink, enjoy each other’s presence, and enjoy God’s provision (Eccl 2:24). No other animal consumes its food around a table. The table is an experience. It’s community. We’re fully alive when we’re around a table. Sharing, confessing, loving, crying, enjoying, laughing, all while facing one another.
I remember when it came time to sell our outdated, low budget table that we grew up with. When it went up for sale, I suddenly recounted the times God provided food when we didn’t have money, when I had my girlfriend over for dinner to get “the 20 questions” from my parents, and some other laughable memories. Experiences were carved into that wood tabletop. If only it could speak to us what it’s seen.
Hours before his crucifixion, Jesus could’ve chosen a cathedral, classroom, or amphitheater to speak his last words to the masses. Instead, he slowed down for intimacy around a table with his disciples to teach them, bless them, and serve them. And so it’s our endeavor to have an experience, not a meal. As a Christian waiter, I honored that when I saw it. It wasn't just bringing food to people; they were there for an experience. Families, couples, and friends sought community in this industry. And community is something good that God talks a lot about. When used as a tool to glorify God, serving tables was actually rewarding. God gave me purpose not just at work, but through my work.
Housekeeping
Would you stay at a resort if you had to do the cleaning and laundry? It’s the very reason we pay hundreds per night! We love the attention. Housekeepers specifically have one of the most important jobs in hospitality. I’m convinced that taking out the trash is the modern-day equivalent to the washing of feet in Biblical times. No one liked doing it, it was dirty, and everyone needed it. Yet this is exactly how Jesus loved on others (read John 13; Luke 7:44-47). A hospitable personality is actually a gift of God (read 1 Pet. 4:9-10; Hebrews 13:2; Romans 12:13-15) and therefore it reflects one of His characteristics.
The Catch
Your work won’t have meaning unless it’s used to ultimately glorify God.
As an entry-level employee of a decade, I fought with “meaning” and “purpose” a lot. Regardless of your current work, God never withholds your capability to glorify Him or to worship Him. I thought my work had no meaning. Yeah, “my coworkers are my ministry” gives me purpose, but we still yearn for an ultimate purpose in my labor.
First Peter 3:15 encourages us that our faithfulness shows other people that we live with a unique hope. Of course, people can do any work without thinking twice about God’s presence, but here I challenge you to answer:
“What attribute of God might my work reflect?”
You can have ministry at your work and through your work, and that’s the message I needed to hear during my formative years juggling life's direction - I found meaning & learned how I could find it again. This equipped me with the tools for spiritual leadership at entry level.
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