For all of my adult life, I’ve worked among strong Christians with a biblical world view. We know that God has called us to work and that our work matters to Him. That transforms a workplace.

But I’ve experienced another side. For five long, hot summers, I worked in a factory to pay my way through school. With large ovens in the building, the room temperature spiked above 120 degrees on hot summer days. The factory was noisy and dusty, and the work was labor intensive. If one person on the line made a mistake, everyone suffered.

People there didn’t think their work mattered to God. Their work didn’t even matter to them, except that it was a means to an end. It allowed them to provide for their families and to enjoy some amenities like drinking when they weren’t at work.

Of course, there were a few people who stood out in that factory. Some of them I knew were professing Christians. They shone like lights. Their work mattered. They had a better attitude, better work habits, and cared more about the products. They were more helpful to others, quicker to accept responsibility and quicker to forgive.

Some of you are currently working in a place like that. Others of you feel called to a job or a ministry that you know will be difficult. You know God has called you, but you know you will need all the support you can get.

The Washington Institute has served as an advocate for people who need instruction, accountability, and support as they strive to be Christ’s agents in pushing back the darkness in their workplaces and their endeavors. The institute works with colleges, seminaries, businesses, and media in order to help people in the workplace to see their God-given calling and to apply it in their lives and their surroundings.

I like to think that the Washington Institute wouldn’t exist without the Reformed Presbyterian Church, but that is my speculation. For certain, it would not exist without the influence of a Reformed perspective on life and work. In talking to Steve Garber, the institute’s founder, it is clear that many congregations that he sees, across many denominations, are not doing enough to support their members in seeing God’s calling upon them and applying that calling in their everyday work. Do you recognize God’s call upon your work? Are you encouraging others in their callings? Are you encouraging and supporting those in your church? What one thing might you do this week to help?