Teachers and Students
When I taught Pre-Algebra to 7th graders, I learned more about Pre-Algebra than any of my students. Likewise, when I lectured about Abraham leaving Ur, I learned far more about Sumerian civilization and the significance of leaving home than any of the ladies who listened to my lecture.
I’ve often heard people say that those who teach learn the most. This prompts me to ask, does this mean that those who teach others to follow Jesus learn the most about following Jesus? Does this mean that those who oversee the growth of Christians grow the most?
That doesn’t sound right. Does it? That’s like saying that those who coach soccer are the best players. Ha! That’s not true. It’s not coaching that makes a person good at playing soccer. It’s playing the game. And no position on the field makes one player better than the others.
Likewise, growing in Jesus isn’t done best by Christian “coaches.” It’s done in the game. And the game isn’t for a select few people called into ministry. It’s for everyone.
Why the Confusion?
I can see why people might get this mixed up, though. It’s easy to think that those who pastor or lead churches or are on the mission’s field are more “in the game” than those who change diapers or run spreadsheets or put together construction documents. Not too long ago, I myself thought that being in certain church positions was like taking the fast track to growing in Christ.
Certainly, those who lead churches learn more about leading church organizations, just like those who manage church staff learn more about management. But I don’t think there’s one profession that makes a person more like Christ than the other professions. If there were a profession like that, it’d obviously be being a writer.
Hehe. Just kidding.
But seriously. No profession acquires more wisdom, more fruit of the Spirit, or more treasure in Heaven. No profession puts us on the fast track to growing God’s virtues except the profession that the Lord calls us into. That profession could be pastoring a mega-church or waiting on tables or homeschooling bratty kids! Why must they be so bratty!? I’m sure I was never this bratty.
God means to make us fit for Heaven through whatever profession we find ourselves in. We cannot put ourselves on a fast track through having a certain occupation. “Being in ministry” isn’t more in line with God’s business than any other occupation.
Religious Leaders
However, the religious leaders in the Bible would probably disagree with me. They thought their occupation was making them holier than others. I wonder if they got tripped up because their job was tough. After all, it was extremely difficult for them to uphold their Jewish tradition in the face of Roman rule. Not only that, but trying to manage other people’s morality is bonkers. Just ask a mom!
It’s human nature to believe that whatever we’re enduring is harder than what others are enduring. And if we believe we’re enduring more, we might also believe we’re getting stronger, wiser, and better than others faster.
Maybe the difficulties of managing others’ morality prompted the religious leaders to think they were better than the people they were managing. Scripture shows us how they not only thought they were greater, but they used their authority and God’s Laws to prove they were on the fast track to righteousness. They—the very people who were to teach what was right and wrong—used their position to say that they were the most right. Ek! To make matters worse, they used their power to categorize certain people as lesser: primarily Gentiles, slaves, women, and the downtrodden. They used God’s temple to weigh others as lesser and themselves as greater.
No wonder Jesus threw them out of the temple in Matthew Chapters 21-23.
Different Insights into God
It does seem like different professions give us different insights into different aspects of God. For example, a bodyguard might learn more about God’s protection than others. A school principal might learn more about God’s discipline than others. A city mayor might understand more about God’s government. A cheerleader might learn more about God’s encouragement. A cook might learn more about God’s daily provision. A nurse might learn more about God’s healing. A pregnant woman might better understand our suffering of being born again. A poet might know more about God’s metaphorical language. But these are just examples of what might happen.
No one can be taught life-changing truths without having a teachable Spirit. And none of these professions gives us a teachable Spirit. In fact, one might argue that the higher up on the totem pole one is, the harder it is to have a teachable spirit. We need the Spirit to produce humility in us, and He can do that in anyone willing to be childlike again and again.
Every occupation provides us with opportunities to follow Christ. Every occupation provides us with opportunities to die to ourselves and to submit to God’s will, like Christ did. Every occupation provides us with opportunities to be transformed through this child-like faith in Christ. And every occupation provides us with opportunities to produce the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, etc.
Speaking of patience, it’s time for me to get back to my other occupation of checking kids’ homework. Adios!
Follow-Up Questions
What is your profession? How does this profession help you understand the Lord?
How is the Lord growing the Fruit of the Spirit in you through your current profession?
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