Reflections on God’s Presence at Work

I am a child of God – full stop. I am also the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a solar tech company. By most measures, I have had a successful career, and like many of you, I have attributed success to my hard work, creative and innovative mind, and experienced leadership style. Through the Faith & Work Journey (F&WJ) Premier Experience (now Master’s Journey), I came to realize that my success, as well as failures (aka life lessons), can only be attributed to my maker.

Denise’s teaching and our group discussions during the F&WJ Premiere Experience set a foundation for understanding the integration of faith and work in my life. The work I do is for God’s purpose, but God also breathes life into my work and guides my path.

This last realization was cemented during my F&WJ Focus Project. The purpose of the project was to provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on a big question we had about faith and work (from the lessons), identify an area for focused improvement (e.g., leadership), or explore new opportunities to serve God in our work.

In my Focus Project, I set out to explore where God showed up during each stage of my 40-year career journey. I pondered where I was (time, company, location, position/role), truths at each stage (job, career, personal life, family life), what God was doing in my life during that time, and most importantly, what God taught me. It was a fascinating process of discernment, and even more of a fascinating opportunity to share my story with others and learn from their stories as well.

Spoiler alert – here are my main ah-ha’s from this project experience:
1) Work & Faith are inseparable (not just integrated)
2) When I put forth the right intentions, God makes up the difference
3) God gifted me with the skills of innovation and discernment
4) I flourish at work and spiritual growth when I trust God 100%
5) When I follow other’s plans for my work, I end up using my least gifted areas
6) God gifted me with the Provider role
7) Knowing your strengths and allowing yourself to apply them at work is fulfilling

The Faith & Work Journey Premier Experience and my Focus Project gave me incredible perspective. My
hope is that you too will take advantage of the upcoming Master’s Journey session starting in the Fall of 2023 and discover God’s presence in your work. I’ll be attending and look forward to seeing you there.

by JuneAn Lanigan; F&WJ Alum and Board Member

Faith & Work Journey is about faith and work integration. We offer spiritual formation and professional development experiences that help Christian professionals cultivate a vital integration of their faith and work. We are a faith-based non-profit Christian ministry. We offer opportunities to learn how to integrate faith & work, what is the relationship between God & work, how to work as a Christian even if you don't work in a Christian workplace, what is the biblical view on employment, what are biblical principles for career success, how to make Christian career decisions, how to approach evangelism in the workplace in a way that honors God and respects your co-workers, and more. Inspired by Redeemer Church's Center for Faith and Work, Gotham Fellowship, Faith Driven Entrepreneur, Faith and Work Movement, and other organizations including faith-based employee resource groups, Faith & Work Journey is designed to equip and empower Christ-following businesspeople to steward faithfully their professional vocations.