

Starting our first jobs can be very thrilling, giving us a sense of having “made it”, and we look forward to our paychecks and paid leaves. And we’re fizzing with anticipation at the idea of doing big, legendary things in our workplaces.
These are exciting times, but it also pays to arm ourselves with some realities the workplace may bring so we won’t feel disillusioned when things don’t pan out the way we had hoped. For instance, we didn’t land our dream job, or job hunting is taking longer than what we envisioned it would be.
Here’s some advice from those who have gone before:


The alarm rings and and we’re thinking of a thousands ways to call in sick without being too obvious that we’re not actually physically ill, just sick of our jobs and workplace. The blazing fire within us that once burnt brightly has now been reduced to a flickering flame, and no amount of fanning it seem to bring the fire back up.
Our enthusiasm for our work has, over the years, been dulled by disappointments, hard-to-please bosses and colleagues, and stressful workloads. These days the only way we’re able to make it out of bed is if we schedule nice-pick-me-ups during the week, countdown to the weekend, or think of our piles of bills to pay.
If you say “yes” to any of the above, we have some tips for you to consider on what your next steps might look like—it doesn’t necessarily mean emailing your boss your resignation letter stat.




There is nothing wrong with being ambitious, but it depends on what kind of ambition we harbour. There are two types of ambitions, “selfish ambition”, and there’s “Godly ambition”.
Godly ambition is driven by the interest of others, and in particular, God.
This may be a radical way of thinking, particularly if we’ve previously only ever thought of doing these things for our advantage. However, God in His great wisdom often gives us desires that we find it is our joy to use for the interests of others.
So, if you’re going to be ambitious, be ambitious for the Lord! Consider the gifts, skills, talents, abilities and opportunities He has given you. And then creatively and passionately strive to use them for the good of others and His glory.
There is nothing wrong with being ambitious, but it depends on what kind of ambition we harbour. There are two types of ambitions, “selfish ambition”, and there’s “Godly ambition”.
Godly ambition is driven by the interest of others, and in particular, God.
This may be a radical way of thinking, particularly if we’ve previously only ever thought of doing these things for our advantage. However, God in His great wisdom often gives us desires that we find it is our joy to use for the interests of others.
So, if you’re going to be ambitious, be ambitious for the Lord! Consider the gifts, skills, talents, abilities and opportunities He has given you. And then creatively and passionately strive to use them for the good of others and His glory.


We all crave success because we want to know we have “made it”, and we desire to keep up with the Joneses because we want to show the world we’re winning in life.
But as Christians, the more important question is to ask ourselves, “Who defines our success?”. When God’s the one defining our success, we know that He has a different set of measures in mind. The world may measure success by the number of zeros at the end of our pay cheque, our postal code, or the vacations we take in a year.
However, when it comes to God, success looks like faithfully stewarding the gifts and talents He has given us to build His kingdom, using what we have to bless others, and working with an eternal purpose in mind.
We all crave success because we want to know we have “made it”, and we desire to keep up with the Joneses because we want to show the world we’re winning in life.
But as Christians, the more important question is to ask ourselves, “Who defines our success?”. When God’s the one defining our success, we know that He has a different set of measures in mind. The world may measure success by the number of zeros at the end of our pay cheque, our postal code, or the vacations we take in a year.
However, when it comes to God, success looks like faithfully stewarding the gifts and talents He has given us to build His kingdom, using what we have to bless others, and working with an eternal purpose in mind.


Many of us would love to know what our next steps are, and we’re frustrated when the heavens remain silent on this. However, God has also given us wisdom and free will to make certain decisions in life.
When it comes to decision-making, Christians have often been given two answers to this question: the map view and the menu view. The “map view” sees it’s our duty to discover God’s particular plan for our life and to follow it. The “menu view” sees decisions as opportunities to invest in building a life that’s pleasing to God and a blessing to others. Many Christians assume the “map view” must be the only choice, but it’s best not to make this assumption.
Take the time to compare these two views yourself and think about biblical examples of decision-making. Allow the principles of God’s word to guide you and remember that God’s will includes both “don’ts” and “dos”. When you take these commands to heart, you’ll discover that knowing and following just this small part of God’s will for you will bring real blessings to you and everyone around you.
Many of us would love to know what our next steps are, and we’re frustrated when the heavens remain silent on this. However, God has also given us wisdom and free will to make certain decisions in life.
When it comes to decision-making, Christians have often been given two answers to this question: the map view and the menu view. The “map view” sees it’s our duty to discover God’s particular plan for our life and to follow it. The “menu view” sees decisions as opportunities to invest in building a life that’s pleasing to God and a blessing to others. Many Christians assume the “map view” must be the only choice, but it’s best not to make this assumption.
Take the time to compare these two views yourself and think about biblical examples of decision-making. Allow the principles of God’s word to guide you and remember that God’s will includes both “don’ts” and “dos”. When you take these commands to heart, you’ll discover that knowing and following just this small part of God’s will for you will bring real blessings to you and everyone around you.


Most of us dream of a work-life balance or a work-life blend, and we’re finding that working overtime over long periods of time is unsustainable—and that’s perfectly understandable!
In instances like these, the idea of “quiet quitting” can be very tempting. However, it’s hard to find examples in the Bible of God commanding anyone to do the minimum and draw strict boundaries about work commitments.
But at the same time, when Scripture says we’re to work “with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” (Colossians 3:22), Paul isn’t telling us to work ourselves to death. He’s telling us to look to Jesus and let Him be our Master, because He isn’t a taskmaster, but our gentle and humble Saviour and Lord.
In Christ, we have the wisdom to identify the root issues of our struggles, whether it’s the need to rest, to quit with integrity, or to take a step back, set better boundaries, and not let work define and consume us.
Most of us dream of a work-life balance or a work-life blend, and we’re finding that working overtime over long periods of time is unsustainable—and that’s perfectly understandable!
In instances like these, the idea of “quiet quitting” can be very tempting. However, it’s hard to find examples in the Bible of God commanding anyone to do the minimum and draw strict boundaries about work commitments.
But at the same time, when Scripture says we’re to work “with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord” (Colossians 3:22), Paul isn’t telling us to work ourselves to death. He’s telling us to look to Jesus and let Him be our Master, because He isn’t a taskmaster, but our gentle and humble Saviour and Lord.
In Christ, we have the wisdom to identify the root issues of our struggles, whether it’s the need to rest, to quit with integrity, or to take a step back, set better boundaries, and not let work define and consume us.


Prickly colleagues can make working life unbearable, and it’s especially challenging because we spend an unimaginable amount of time with them every day.
However, we can still show kindness, love, and generosity to our unlovely colleagues (this isn’t saying that it’s going to be easy!), by praying for them, doing small acts of sacrifices for them, and speaking well of them. Granted, these aren’t easy to do at all, but we have Jesus as our guide.
Praying for our unlovely colleagues is extremely helpful in changing our relationship with them, and it empowers us to love them even when it’s hard. Meanwhile, doing small acts of sacrifices for them, such as offering to get them a coffee, or thanking them for their contribution, allows us to heap coals on our enemy’s head (Romans 12:20). And while it’s tempting to speak ill of our colleagues, Scripture says we’re not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths (Ephesians 4:29). We can instead speak well of them, even those we find unlovely.
In all these ways, we seek to be like Christ, and He’s our model in how we can love and serve those around us.
Prickly colleagues can make working life unbearable, and it’s especially challenging because we spend an unimaginable amount of time with them every day.
However, we can still show kindness, love, and generosity to our unlovely colleagues (this isn’t saying that it’s going to be easy!), by praying for them, doing small acts of sacrifices for them, and speaking well of them. Granted, these aren’t easy to do at all, but we have Jesus as our guide.
Praying for our unlovely colleagues is extremely helpful in changing our relationship with them, and it empowers us to love them even when it’s hard. Meanwhile, doing small acts of sacrifices for them, such as offering to get them a coffee, or thanking them for their contribution, allows us to heap coals on our enemy’s head (Romans 12:20). And while it’s tempting to speak ill of our colleagues, Scripture says we’re not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths (Ephesians 4:29). We can instead speak well of them, even those we find unlovely.
In all these ways, we seek to be like Christ, and He’s our model in how we can love and serve those around us.


So good to hear you’re taking that step of faith in sharing Christ with your workmates!
Sharing about God in our workplace can be scary—we’re worried about how others will perceive it, or we think we need to reach a certain personality or status before anyone would listen.
Telling our workmates about Jesus doesn’t always have to be a big evangelistic moment, it can be as simple as: “Hey, tell me more about your faith . . .”, and giving them a safe space to talk. Sooner or later, they’ll also give us the space for a safe conversation about our beliefs!
And we don’t have to wait till we have it all together before we tell our mates about Jesus. God wants to use us exactly the way we are—broken jars of clay—to be His vessels for the gospel.
Above all, we aren’t doing this alone—God is with us. So pray before you enter into the conversation, and let the Holy Spirit lead.


It’s said when in Rome, do as the Romans do. However, it can be tricky doing such a thing as Christians, even if we desperately want to.
The good news is, the Bible offers us four postures which we can adopt as we relate to others around us:
1. Cooperation—Paul’s called us to cooperate with those around us and the culture we find ourselves in as much as possible (Romans 12:18).
2. Subversion—We push back against the pressure we are experiencing, not with our words, but with our actions.
3. Exposure—There will be times when we will be required to do more than cooperate and subvert, but we need to keep perspective; not every point of pressure to conform requires exposure.
4. Separation—This one should be a last resort. If we are faced with this situation, we must also recognise that wherever we go, there’ll be unethical practices that challenge our faith.
To determine when to use which posture, we’ll need to lean in on the wisdom of the community—our brothers and sisters in Christ. Together, we stand firm in our faith against the pressure to conform.


We hear you, it’s not fun being the black sheep, sitting around wondering when you’d get a “real” job while your friends hustle off to work with fancy titles. Furthermore, not being able to nab a “good” job can make us feel like a “failure”. Beyond that, there are also financial worries and feelings of insecurity.
Here are some truths to guide you during this time:
1. Your identity is based on who you are, not what you do. Jesus loves you enough that He thought you were “enough” to die for. Everything in this world comes and goes, but His love for you remains. Your identity is based on who you are, not what you do.
2. You can tell God everything that is on your heart during this time, and He will patiently comfort and reassure you of His ways. As long as you are alive, you are God’s and will always be cared for.
3. You may feel like you’re running behind schedule, but God says you’re right on time because you’re running on His time. Through everything, He still calls you His own.
Your part-time and ad hoc jobs might be seen as “unconventional” by society’s standards, but there is also nothing conventional about your God and your identity in Him.


Congratulations, that’s so exciting! It’s understandable that you feel daunted at what’s ahead, especially if the role comes with more responsibilities or would require you to grow in your skill set.
While it’s a lot nicer to continue chilling in our comfort zones, it can over time make us lazy, complacent, and inflexible. And most importantly, it could give us a false sense of security and hinder us from growing in trust and obedience to God.
So, if you sense that this is the step God’s leading you to, but you’re still feeling a bit hesitant, here are some tips to get you started:
1. Commit your insecurities to the Lord! He will provide you with the strength and resources that you need.
2. Hold onto God’s faithfulness and remind yourself of all the times He has delivered you through difficult periods.
3. Look beyond your immediate circumstances and cling to God’s bigger promises for courage to go forth into the unknown.


It can be hard to gauge whether a workplace is toxic when we’re applying for jobs (because no job ad will ever say, “Come and work for this toxic company!”) until we actually start working for it, so we sympathise with you!
If you need to hang in there for now, here are some pointers:
1. Bring your sorrows and tears to God at the end of each workday. Copy verses into your personal journal or notepad, meditate over them, and pray them out.
2. Form trustworthy friendships. There’s a lot to be said about having people who have your back, and your group of trustworthy friends do not have to come from work—they can be from church or life group.
3. Continue to do your best even though it’s tempting to do a half-hearted job. God says we’re to respect our earthly masters with respect and fear (Ephesians 6:5), and that means continue working with integrity until the day we leave. Our ethics will also be a testimony to our non-Christian friends who’re watching how we reflect Jesus in trying times.
May you find the strength to continue digging into God, the wisdom to seek out trusted friends, and to keep doing your best—even when it’s difficult.
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YMI (which stands for Why Am I?), is a platform for Christian young people all over the world to ask questions about life and discover their true purpose. We are a community with different talents but the same desire to make sense of God’s life-changing word in our everyday lives.
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