How to integrate your faith and work: 3 actionable steps to connect your faith with your job
Many of us operate faith and work as two separate entities that don’t always blend together. Denise Lee Yohn, a brand leadership expert and director of the Faith & Work Journey, experienced this firsthand in the early days of her career.
As a new Christian woman in her twenties, she struggled with understanding how to integrate her faith into her professional life. When she couldn’t find resources to help her journey to reconcile the two, she was inspired to start a Christian ministry, Faith & Work Journey, designed to help others cultivate a vital integration of their faith and work.
On the Faith Inspired Podcast Episode 87, Denise discussed her experience and provided insight into God’s full vision for faith and work integration.
According to Denise, understanding this vision requires going back to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1:21, “So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems, and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
The first thing we see God doing is work.
Then the Bible goes on to say in Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” God created the world and then humanity to be workers, too.
In fact, everyone has a built-in vocation, and there is no distinction between secular and sacred work.
For Denise, this understanding is vital for Christians who struggle to integrate their faith into their work. She believes that we need to start by recognizing the inherent value of work and viewing it as a calling, not just a means to an end. From there, we can begin to see how our work can serve God’s purposes and advance His kingdom.
So, what can we do to integrate our faith and work better?
Here are three actionable steps:
Rethink our view of work
As Denise noted, work is more than just a way to make money or achieve success. It’s a calling and a vocation given to us by God. By viewing work this way, we can see how our jobs can be meaningful and purposeful, even if they don’t directly involve ministry or evangelism.
Can you imagine the impact a Christian at a large, influential company like Google, Meta, and Amazon could have? The decisions made and led keeping faith in mind could impact thousands to millions of lives. And the impact at a small company could do the same – there’s something to be said about generational blessings that live on past the initial mark.
Seek God’s guidance
Integrating our faith into our work requires intentionality and prayer. We need to seek God’s guidance and ask Him to show us how to serve Him through our jobs. This might mean volunteering for projects that align with our values, positively influencing our colleagues, or simply doing our work with excellence and integrity.
It can also mean seeking God’s guidance in making ethical and moral decisions and standing up and saying something when others will not. For example, in the book of Esther, Esther had an initial reluctance to speak out for her people. However, her uncle Mordecai encouraged her, saying, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) Through a powerful prayer and consideration, you might realize this is your moment.
But when it is your moment to stand up for what is right, you must be wise about how you say it and potentially offer alternatives. One of the significant aspects of the story of Daniel is when he and his friends are forced to eat royal food and wine. Daniel knew that was a line he was not willing to cross, but he didn’t just say no; he offered an alternative. (Daniel 1:5-16)
So instead of just standing up and staking your claim. Try offering solutions that you feel comfortable with, and that would benefit the company as well. That’s what makes you a valuable employee; the ability to stand up for what’s right or what you think is right but then say, “Here’s how I recommend we move forward.” You show that you believe in the company and understand what’s important to them.
Connect with others
Finally, we don’t have to navigate the intersection of faith and work alone. Connecting with other Christians in our field or industry can provide support, encouragement, and accountability. It can also help us see how others integrate their faith into their work, give us new ideas and perspectives, and the boldness we need to let our faith lead the way.
Understanding God’s full vision for faith and work integration requires a shift in our thinking. We need to view work as a calling and recognize the inherent value and purpose of all kinds of work. By seeking God’s guidance and connecting with other believers, we can find ways to integrate our faith into our work and positively influence the world around us.
For more ways to integrate your faith and work, listen to Bringing faith and work together: God’s vision for work and faith integration.
