Making Christ the King of Your Career
Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build. - Psalm 127:1
Before God led me to Catholic Women in Business, I wasn’t in the habit of praying about my business or my career.
What I’ve learned in the last two years is that the only step that makes sense is to make Christ the King of my career as well as the rest of my life. Christ is Lord of everything: every breath I take, every word I write, and every decision I wrestle with.
With today’s feast, celebrated this year on November 23rd, faithful Catholics around the world acknowledge Christ the King of the Universe. The readings show us Christ as a compassionate leader who remembers us as he enters into the heavenly kingdom (Luke 23:42) and a chain-breaker who has made us fit to share in his inheritance.
In our fallen world, many things and people compete for our attention and even our allegiance. Making sure Christ is the King we follow with every step isn’t easy; but it’s the only path to true happiness. I promise I’m stumbling beside you on that path! Here are some things I’m trying to help center my career around the true King.
Make Christ a Priority
Before I encountered CWIB, I engaged with Walking with Purpose, a Catholic women’s apostolate that, among other things, offers terrific Bible studies. Their Ordering Your Priorities study changed my daily routine. The first priority is God; each time that I allow someone or something else to claim that spot, things go awry. This study helped me to acknowledge that truth and to change my habits by incorporating morning prayer.
In order to “ceaselessly proclaim” His praise as today’s Collect reminds us, start every day with prayer. I’ve used the Rosary and tried both the Hallow app and Ascension app. Pray More Novenas is a great resource for praying for specific people or needs. Start small, find something that works for you and build from there. Search for silence so you actually hear Him.
I’ve also developed a habit of reading Scripture every day. In addition to studying with and without groups, there are a wide variety of options including reading plans you can complete on your own. God has a way of putting the right Scripture in front of us just when we need it.
Make Decisions with Him
In life – and especially in business – there are very few genuine emergencies. When you have to make a decision, you always have time to pause and pray. Don’t rush or succumb to pressure. You have been set free from slavery to made-up emergencies.
Making decisions with Christ might look like saying a prayer before you submit a proposal or log in to a Teams meeting with colleagues. It might look like taking the time to research organizations or people you are thinking of working with or for. Do they share your values? Will the work you will do support the building of God’s kingdom?
Stay Humble
Apart from God, we can do nothing! That includes all types of work. God cares about the letters we type, the products we create and the papers we shuffle for ourselves and our employers. Remembering that all our talents are gifts from our creator is critical to making Christ the King of our careers. We can be confident daughters of the King and stay humble enough to be grateful for His generosity.
It also means staying open to opportunities He might be sending that take us in unexpected directions. And it means being grateful. Don’t forget to make at least some of your daily prayers prayers of Thanksgiving.
Making Christ the King of our careers will be a process of daily surrender and trust. Missteps are inevitable for all us humans, but He is with you through it all and “in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) Keep up your good work.
Sharon Bengel, Managing Editor at Catholic Women in Business, is a cradle Catholic with more than 30 years of experience in writing, communications and publication design. A recovering newspaper reporter with a crush on the prophet Jeremiah, Sharon loves discovering new things about the scriptures. She runs an LLC out of her home office in southwest Ohio where she keeps a stash of chocolate for her grandkids.