My dad was still working as a cook in a retirement village after his retirement.
I don’t know that I was ever really close to my dad while I was growing up. I was the youngest of five kids and dad was less than a month away from turning 44 when I was born. He worked as a cook on cargo ships so he was away from home for long periods. It’s not easy to connect with someone who’s not around most of the time.
As difficult as that early relationship was, some of my favourite memories from my growing up days are the times that dad’s ship was in port. Very early in the morning he would drive from our home in Scarborough to Fremantle to cook breakfast and prepare the day’s meals for the crew. Sometimes I’d join him for that early drive and then hang around the ship and wharf for the day. I’d watch him work then head off for a while then return to the galley again. Pretty exciting times for a boy. There were things to see and do …. and I was at work with my dad.
I’ll never forget one of the times that our whole family visited dad on a ship when he was working. One of the other crew members saw us children and told us that dad talked about us all the time. Wow! My dad talked about me to his workmates … in a good way.
Going to work with my dad meant more to me than I think my dad ever knew. I don’t think he ever knew how important it made me feel and how proud I was on the occasions when I was allowed to take a friend on one of those early mornings. I got to show off my dad.
Do you have memories of going to work with your dad?
These days I get to work with my heavenly father each day.
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” – Romans 8:15 ESV
I’m still growing up spiritually and my relationship with God isn’t always what it should be but God still lets me watch him work every day. The scriptures tell us that God is not a distant, impersonal authority but someone who is close to us. We can call him Abba, Father. That’s a term that combines the appropriate respect with a remarkable intimacy. That’s how the dad / child relationship should be.
If I was excited and proud about going to work with my earthly father, how much more excited should I be about tagging along with God?
Even though I work in a Christian workplace, I need to constantly remind myself that what I’m doing is more than a job. It’s too easy to get bogged down in the day to day routine and not notice that God is opening opportunities, that he’s directing my day, that he’s the one who should be leading me. I need to ask his forgiveness for the many times I lose sight of who I’m working with and for.
In case you’re tempted to think that I have an amazing privilege that you don’t, remember that whether you’re in a Christian workplace or not, you have the same privilege of working with your heavenly father. And even more than that, when you clock off at night, you’re still working alongside Abba, Father.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
No matter where God has placed you, you’re serving Jesus. That means that you’re working with your dad every day, at your job, at home, on the weekend, wherever you are. Does that thrill you? Does that change the way you think about your day?
If you believe that through God is working on this earth each day to draw people to himself through Jesus Christ, you have the amazing opportunity to watch him work, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, to play a part in that work.
Whatever you do today, take a few moments to consider that you’re working with your dad, and that he’s more than delighted that you’re his son or daughter. Even more than that, his name is on his lips …. in a really good way.
