As women, we wear a lot of hats, am I right? We are roommates, friends, wives, mothers, singles, sisters, and daughters. We are entrepreneurs, business professionals, stay-at-home moms, Bible teachers, ministry leaders, and mentors, just to name a few of the roles we play. At times, we find ourselves juggling more than one of the above responsibilities at the same time! I know at least one person reading this is whispering, “Amen, sister!”
Personally, I see myself in a few of the categories above. For years, I struggled with how to wear my business professional hat and how effective I was at being a herald of the gospel at work in Corporate America.
I am a Director of Sales at a Fortune 500 company with a team of over 30 people. I oversee a significant size of the business at a key retail customer. And while God has given me continued success in the marketplace, I could not help but ask, “Why here, Lord?”
With this question in mind, I found myself entering each Monday a bit disheartened as I returned to my job. My profession seemed to be in direct conflict with ministry and advancing the kingdom of God.
What about the souls I prayed for every night? The people I mourned with every weekend as I served at church? What about the worship songs I sang proclaiming Jesus at the center of it all? What do I do with all of those things come Monday? Where do they fit while I navigate an inbox with two hundred emails each begging for my attention? Where do I find the divine in the hum-drum of data analysis, back-to back meetings, and conference calls?
One day, the Lord was kind to remind me of Paul’s encouragement to the church in Corinth:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
I had my answer. Whatever.
Despite the drastic scenery change from church halls to office cubes and the shift in conversation that graced the hallways, whatever I did with my time in that building and among those people, I did to the glory of God.
At first, I thought it hard to reconcile. On one hand, I lived a ministry entrenched life, and on the other, I was a suit-wearing, briefcase-holding, upper-level manager. But it wasn’t as different as it seemed.
Both are mission fields.
I often asked the Holy Spirit to help me be sensitive to His leading on Sunday mornings, that He would show me who to approach as I welcomed visitors in the church lobby. It occurred to me that my prayer should be the same at work as I entered rooms for the next business meeting or prepared for a sit-down with suppliers. Just as I regularly prayed for opportunities to share the gospel with women I met in ministry, so I should pray to share the gospel with coworkers as God led me in conversation.
The ability to be the fragrance of Christ (2 Cor 2:15) is true in both worlds; the aroma is just as potent at my office as in my church’s worship center.
So I look at Mondays differently now. My bright-blue ministry volunteer shirt hangs in the closet beside my crisp, professional blouses. Both serve as uniforms of sorts. When worn, both are effective, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, to help me be an ambassador for Christ, God making His appeal through me (2 Cor 5: 20) wherever I go and whoever I meet. One hat (or blouse) isn’t more important than the other, to share the good news of the gospel.
Praise God that such life-changing news does not need a particular context for us to make it known!
That truth is one I cling to now, and it’s true for you too, friend. Maybe you also feel a tension being an effective minister of the gospel in what feels like an unlikely place. A homeschooling mom, an unemployed artist/creative, climbing the corporate ladder, or somewhere between. Perhaps you can’t see how God could use you in the setting you find yourself in today.
Be encouraged: Wherever He sets your feet is a mission field to point those around you to Jesus, to the glory of God.
As I reflect on the moments He has given me in my workplace to comfort coworkers, pray with employees, and share the gospel, I see this more clearly than ever. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
God doesn’t miss a thing, and He does not make mistakes. He is sovereign over all of it. Whatever terrain we presently traverse, wherever we call work, we are ministers of the gospel, and it is our joyful responsibility to live it and share it. Even—as it turns out for me (and possibly for you too!)—if that is Corporate America.
Nikki Lawrence is a connector by nature. Among her many passions, she wants to see women walk in gospel-centered community as well operate in their God-given giftings—whatever their spaces of influence. As the Director of Partnerships at Sparrow Women, she is able to see both come together as she works alongside the team to equip women for the work of reconciliation. Sparrow exists to catalyze the next generation of reconcilers and mobilizes currently through a yearly conference in Dallas, Texas. Nikki lives in North Dallas and serves at The Village Church.
