Food for Thought

I saw a buddy of mine the other day and we were briefly catching up on things. We have both made some life changes recently, and at some point I asked him if he liked his new job. He replied, "I'm not as stressed out as I was at my old job...I didn't need to be stressed out over things that don't matter all that much to me. So the new job is fine...honestly, it's a means to an end. Really."

Hmmm... Those specific words (means to an end) made me think...

I, too, feel less stressed at my new job and mainly think it's because I am able to completely leave work at work. Over the years, I have trained myself to separate work life from personal life as much as possible...practically by going on a walk when I get home from work. Not only is it my form of exercise, but it also helps me clear my head and help me put the work day behind me. It's also beneficial for me (currently) that I'm not friends with my co-workers outside of the office...so work isn't much of my after work conversations.

But I often times think that I still haven't found my dream job...and I want one! Perhaps I have, but haven't been doing this job long enough to know. :) Yet assuming this isn't it, how much effort should I put into finding the best job for me? When job hunting, I heard and thought the gamut of thoughts from "God is big enough to give you a job that you actually enjoy and are made for" to "A job is a job, especially in these economic times." At the end of the day, I think I believe both. Knowing God is in control of all things and is certainly powerful to do anything at anytime, I do trust that I could have my dream job in an instant if that was the Lord's will. Yet in the meantime, I want to be grateful for the job I have been blessed with. So is my job a means to an end (eating) or is it more than that? Should it be more than that?

When looking at the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus in Christian Doctrine senior year at Presbyterian, Dr. Hobbie (wonderful, fabulous, spunky man!) asked the class if we though Jesus ever had an erection. That's another topic completely and a discussion for another day. (However, for what it's worth, I think He did.) But that train of thought leads me to ask: Did Jesus enjoy His job?

Not His job as a full time minister (ministry vs. vocation vs. job still confuses me some and I'm not up for that right now), but did Jesus enjoy being a carpenter? Was that a passion of His? Was He simply following in His father's footsteps? Was He buying time until He turned water into wine at a wedding and then changed the world forever by teaching and healing and giving Himself for us?

Any thoughts out there?