“A single ‘Blessed be God!’ when things go wrong is of more value than a thousand acts of thanksgiving when things are to our liking” (St. John of Ávila).

How do you define career success?

There are a plethora of opinions on this subject. Simply Google “career success,” and about 1.38 million results pop up, from career consulting groups to business articles. MasterClass defines it as a “concept revolving around how you measure achievement in your life” that includes job title, work-life balance, and happiness level.

So, how should we view career success as Christians?

Kevin Anselmo (a Protestant communications consultant) reflects on this question in “Reframing Career Success: Picture Your Significance at Work from a Christian Perspective.” Anselmo outlines 12 principles for Christians to come to a meaningful definition of career success that expresses the values of hope, gratitude, and service.

God Is Our Captain

The main theme highlighted throughout this book is that we are not in control; God is, and his plans are better. Our human tendency is to want control, and we go to great lengths to be in control of every aspect of our life, especially when life is chaotic.

When it comes to our career and professional life, we want to know why we haven’t gotten recognition or a promotion while others are experiencing the success we desire. So often, we are striving for the next best thing, and we believe that our worth is dependent on what we do and how well we do it instead of who we are as a beloved daughter of Christ.

Anselmo points out that when we focus our attention on our career identity and achievements, we are unable to grow deeper in virtue. He illustrates this issue with a challenge: to consider what the world will look like in 150 years. Our career legacy will most likely not matter, while our individual contributions of loving and serving the people around us will have a stronger and deeper impact on our family and community. At the end of our life, how we are loved will matter more than our career.

The Prosperity Gospel Has No Bearing on Our Career Success

Any success you have in your career is not because you checked off all the correct Christian boxes to receive blessings. Similarly, your career failures and disappointments do not happen because you did not check off all the correct Christian boxes and, thus, did not earn God’s blessings.

Anselmo writes that God’s blessings are not prizes to be won but, rather, gifts freely given that “[makes] us fully satisfied in him [God].” God bestows his favor regardless of our career achievements, failures, and disappointments, because he wants to satisfy the deepest longing of our heart: No career success will ever fully satisfy us; only God can.

Just because we are Christian does not mean that we will experience earthly success or that we will never face failure or disappointment. In fact, those disappointments may happen because God is protecting us from continuous striving after material wealth and comfort; that striving may lead us to believe that we no longer need to rely on him. He may call us to a different kind of earthly success: one of loving, serving, and seeing the people around us. Or, he may call us to a different type of work that only we can do.

God is our captain, and he is working through us—but he does not promise that it will all be smooth sailing. All that he asks of us is that we love and trust in him, because he will fulfill his promises. He can use our career successes and failures to bring glory in his kingdom; we simply need to invite him into our joys and disappointments.

Closing Thoughts

While I found this book to have some good and thoughtful points, the theology remained at a surface level and was a reflection of Anselmo’s view of Christianity. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter were simple and thought-provoking, helping me reflect on my own career.

Anselmo invites readers to form their own definition of career success in line with the Christian message of hope, gratitude, and service. His book calls us to seek and praise God in our successes and the disappointments and, in all that we do, to point back to our captain.

Alexandra (Alex) Harrel resides in Irving, Texas. She is a new student affairs professional within the world of higher education. In her spare time, she loves reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors. Her favorite prayer is Hail, Holy Queen. You can follow her on Instagram at @2012alexandra.