I yawn awake before the sun rises. I wash my face, make my side of the bed, and light my candle. 

It is time for work — time to clock in and check the calendar. Time to draft emails and review the meeting notes. Time to populate the spreadsheets and circle back on every scheduled project. It is early and I am bone-tired. But I am also grateful. Oh, so deeply grateful. 

There was a time, nearly two decades ago, when I didn’t know what I wanted in life. A young girl, I was adamant I’d grow up to be a mail carrier. Then a dentist. Then a rock star. Then an editor of children’s books. Then an English language teacher working with students overseas. My dream for my life changed with every passing year, it seemed. I was desperate, I suppose, to discover my true purpose. 

Somewhere along the way, though, I began to shift my understanding of purpose. I realized that purpose is not contingent upon the positions we’re placed in. Neither is purpose justified by the jobs we hold. Likewise, my purpose didn’t change when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness a few years back and had to change jobs. My purpose wasn’t paused when I packed up my life to move 500 miles across state lines. 

On the contrary, though circumstances changed my purpose remained the same. For, when contracts ended and I didn’t know where my next paycheck would come from, God was still worthy of my praise. When coworkers came and went, deepening the hole of grief in my heart made by goodbyes, God was still worthy of my praise. When projects failed and imperfect people let me down, God was still worthy of my praise. When responsibilities shifted and progress regressed, God was still worthy of my praise. When prayers went unanswered and weeks went by without the promise of opportunity, God was still worthy of my praise. 

In all situations and all of life’s seasons, God is ever worthy of all our praise. When we live by this, we encounter eternity tucked into life’s everyday moments. Because, paradoxically, in and through the work we do in the world, God is simultaneously at work in us. And, oh, how I want nothing more than to be reformed by the One who first formed me. 

To the woman who is wondering how to honor God at work and on the job:
Let the work of God first begin in you. 

To the woman who is wondering what could possibly come of this:
Let God surprise you with His goodness. 

To the woman who is wondering if things will ever change:
Consider the fact that God might be changing you. 

To the woman who is wondering how to be a light in dark spaces:
Let your kindness be a candle. 

To the woman who is wondering how to carry on through exhausting schedules:
Let God be your strength and shield. 

To the woman who is wondering what her true purpose is:
Your purpose in life is to give God praise. 

I now know the joy I seek could never be made complete by a job. It is God at work in me — has always been and always will be. And I want the work of God in me more than I want anything else. Because God’s work in me is also His love for me — a truth more fulfilling than any position or promise of a paycheck. 

So, welcome the work of God in your heart as you work, dear friend. Whether you’re at a cubicle in an office or teaching a classroom of clamoring kids. Whether you work from home or commute like crazy. Whether you’re taking calls from customers late at night or steaming coffee behind the counter or crunching numbers on the lonely tenth floor of an executive suite. 

Your purpose isn’t floating out there somewhere in the stratosphere. Your purpose is here and now, found in the faces of the people placed before you and in the imperfect places you’ve been positioned within. You might be bone-tired. You may want to cry, complain, and quit all in one breath. But you can also be grateful. Oh, so deeply grateful. 

Because even when it’s hard, He’s still holy…and still worthy of our praise.

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