Get a Job!

Finding a summer job might be a challenge, but it starts with praising God daily for the ability and opportunity to work, to learn, to refine skills, and to benefit all humankind.

By Caryl W. Krueger

Categories: Guidance

As school winds down, many teens consider summer employment, but just what can they offer that will appeal to the one doing the hiring? A recent survey gave some hints, but the best advice to job-seekers comes from.....THE BIBLE!

Yes, the answers are there for the grade schooler who might become a dog-walker or a grass-cutter, the high school student looking for that first "real job," or the collegiate hoping for a position in a chosen field. But what are the fears and pitfalls that might impede the success of this exciting adventure for your child? Before you push him or her to "get a job," consider together these ideas, one by one - perhaps over the course of several weeks, beginning right now before school ends. (The following quotes are from the New International Version of the Bible.)

• Fear of rejection or too few jobs available. Know that God has made each of us as useful and essential parts of His creation. No one is unneeded or unwanted. The job is already awaiting you. "...my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands......they will not toil in vain.....Before they call I will answer......" (Isaiah 65: 22-24) So you are not waiting for the job, the job is waiting for you.
• Lack of experience due to age. Remember that Goliath made fun of David's youth, and look how that ended! And Paul gives this good advice to his teen-age friend Timothy: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12) Be that example during the job search and each day on the job.
• Perhaps it will be too hard to balance a job and activities with family and friends. Just remember that God's perfect universe is always in balance with ample time for important connections. In Second Corinthians 8:13, it says, "Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." Become the master of your time and you will find there is plenty of it for the right activities.
• Do I have the qualities they are looking for in an employee? In the survey, most employers said that a happy employee was usually a good employee. So, show your happiness in your smile and your willingness to work. As it says in Second Corinthians 9:7, each person is encouraged to ...."give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver." And from First Thessalonians 5:16, "Be joyful always." Be that cheerful giver, letting your joyful light shine on others. Let those qualities of kindness, diligence, and caring exemplified by Jesus - and available to you - show you the way.
• How can I be content having to follow orders from someone else? Part of a summer job is learning how to get along with others, when to make a helpful suggestion, and when to just quietly follow the specified way. Be confident in this advice from Solomon: "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools" (Ecclesiastes 9:17). And "Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Proverbs 29:20). Remember, Jesus' first job was a humble one -- that of a carpenter. Humility eventually blesses!
• Can I really expect a summer job to bring satisfaction? Certainly, along with appreciation and an opportunity to praise God for His goodness. What better conclusion than these words from Proverbs (22:29): "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." What may seem like obscure knowledge now may come in handy later as you "serve before kings." Ask yourself, what am I learning that will make me a king, a leader?

Praise God daily for the ability and opportunity to work, to learn, to refine your skills, and, in direct and indirect ways, to benefit all humankind.