4 Reasons to Say No To a Good Job

Several years ago, I met with a former employer who was looking to hire for an inside sales position, and he wanted to offer the job to me first. The job was in my general hometown; the company was a strong, ethical, growing global company; pay would exceed six figures; travel was little to none; and the benefits were great. And I turned it down! Some might think me crazy. I knew, however, that I was turning down a good job, but not a great one, for me.

I’ve learned over the years that a “good” job is one that offers some of the options mentioned above, which is wonderful and can be extremely beneficial. For many of us, a good job is synonymous only with a good paycheck. But a “great” job is one that takes the work experience to another level and be can measured according to four considerations.

1. Consider the original and best example of a great worker in the right job: God is a worker; Jesus is a worker; and we work not only for but also with them. In fact, in John 5, Jesus said, “My Father is at work this day and so am I; I only do what I see my Father doing; I can do nothing on my own.” It’s in this passage that I learned the work Jesus was called into was not just about getting the job done (which he gloriously and graciously did), but rather about staying in a close, harmonious relationship with his Father through the work. A ‘great’ job is, first, about work that helps you stay in relationship with the One who created you, so consider carefully if the job will facilitate a deeper relationship with your Designer. Many people take ‘good’ jobs for the pay or benefits, while yielding to unhealthy sacrifices, for example, in time with family or personal growth.

2. Consider your unique, inherent design. God created every person with a unique one of a kind design to do specific things to build His kingdom in both the ‘for profit’ and ‘not for profit’ sector. So as a good steward of the gifting God has given to me, I had to ask in my search for a ‘great’ job, does the job fit my design? That’s where this ‘good’ job started to break down for me. My design requires me to do work that includes adventure, requires some innovation and leadership among other things. The job that I was offered would have kept me locked in an office, and for me, would NOT have been a “great” job. The job I have today with Crown not only includes the things I mentioned above but other factors as well that align with my design!

If you’ve never taken time to discover and truly reflect on how your God given design, which includes your personality, interests, skills and values, can help reveal a “great” career fit, then I highly recommend using an online assessment tool to help better understand how God has made you. Crown’s Career Direct and Personality I.D. are great tools to aid in this discovery.

3. Begin looking beyond yourself, and consider that your work is designed to serve more than your financial or security needs. When we’re in the job finding mode, our pursuits easily wrap our focus around our own good and needs. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves …” It’s pretty clear: no selfish pursuits; no vanity (pride); appreciate and value others. Most don’t consider that taking a ‘good’ job could prevent another from landing their ‘great’ job. This third consideration is difficult to navigate and is best worked through with much prayer and strong outside counsel.

4. Consider whether the job you are considering will help you grow beyond the person you are today. My final area of consideration for a ‘great’ job comes straight from Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God”. In my experience, a ‘great’ job will necessitate faith in the One who truly can help us achieve the goals and objectives of the job. A ‘great’ job should have some level of challenge depending on your design; should require personal effort (hard work) whether manually or intellectually if not both; should lead you into new or deeper areas of responsibility and accountability; and should lead you to a place of dependence on the One who “will provide all your needs”.

Keep in mind that the “great” job you might find today, might not be as ‘great’ in a few years as you grow and develop, so keep pursuing the great ‘hope and future’ (Jeremiah 29) that God has for you which will always entail a ‘great’ work that He wants to do with, in, and through you.

It is easy to allow grim headlines about job availability to steal from us a vision for work that God gives us when we trust Him. This year, take the time to consider whether you’re ready to have not just a ‘good’ job, but also a meaningful career that makes a difference not just in your life, but also in the world around you, and is truly ‘great’ for you!

Jon Sommer is the Director for Crown’s Career Development division in North America and has been pastoring and counseling couples for more than 10 years. He is also a former small business owner and consults on the side using Crown’s Career Direct and Personality I.D. tools. Follow him on twitter: @jsommer8119