If Your Job Feels Meaningless

Have you ever whispered to God, “Is this really it?”

That quiet, aching question: Is this job my calling?

The pull inside that says, surely I was made for more than this?

If you’ve ever felt that, you’re not alone. We’ve been there too, staring at a schedule, answering emails, sitting in another meeting, wondering if what I’m doing has any eternal weight at all.

Barna found that only 40% of practicing Christians feel clear about their calling. Nearly half of Christian Millennials believe they’re being called to a different kind of work, but haven’t moved yet.¹

That stuck tension? It’s real.

Part of it comes from this subtle belief we’ve picked up along the way, that our calling equals our career. That, unless we’re preaching, pastoring, or doing something explicitly “kingdom,” we must’ve missed the mark.

But that’s not how God sees it.

There’s a difference between calling and vocation.

Your calling isn’t your role. It’s your identity. It’s not about what you do—it’s about who you’re becoming. And who you’re becoming is someone who looks more and more like Jesus.

Your vocation? That’s just where your calling gets lived out for now. It might be a classroom or a boardroom. A hospital or a coffee shop. The kitchen table or the design studio. That part can change. But your calling doesn’t.

Romans 8:29 says this, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son...”

That word “firstborn” in Greek is prototokos—prototype. Jesus is the model of who we’re becoming. You and I were made to look like Him. That’s our deepest calling, to be conformed to His image.

And then, 2 Corinthians 5:18 reminds us of our purpose in the world, “God... reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

You’re not just being shaped to reflect Jesus. You’re being sent to help others experience Him, too. Not necessarily by changing jobs, but by being fully present where you are.

That means the work you’re doing now matters. Not because it’s glamorous or spiritual. But because you’re in it and God is in you.

Maybe your coworkers don’t know Jesus, but they know you. They watch how you respond under pressure. They notice your peace, your presence, your integrity. And those quiet moments of faithfulness? They can preach louder than a thousand sermons.

C.S. Lewis once said, “We don’t need more Christian books. We need more Christians writing great books.”²

That’s the call. Not to leave the world behind, but to fill it with the presence of Christ, through our creativity, our craft, our compassion. You don’t need a platform. You just need to show up—wholeheartedly, intentionally, faithfully.

So maybe today, instead of asking, “Is this job my calling?” 

Ask, “How is God forming me in this place?”

Ask, “How can I reflect His heart to these people, right now?”

Because your calling isn’t fragile. It doesn’t rise and fall with your title. You’re called to become like Christ and carry His presence into every corner of your life. That’s where clarity comes — not in chasing a perfect job, but in choosing to become the kind of person who reveals God, wherever He’s placed you.

That is your calling.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You that my identity is in You, not in what I do. Help me see my work, whatever it looks like, as a place where You’re present and moving. Renew my heart where I’m tired. Give me clarity where I feel unsure. And keep shaping me to look more like You in every space I step into. Amen.

¹ Barna Group, “Three Trends on Faith, Work and Calling,” Barna, accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.barna.com/research/three-trends-on-faith-work-and-calling/

² Often attributed to C. S. Lewis, “The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.” While widely circulated, this quote does not appear in Lewis’s published works and should be considered apocryphal. It reflects ideas consistent with his views, but a primary source has not been identified.