“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  Mark 6:3

There is no doubt that Jesus was a phenomenal teacher. But sometimes it’s overlooked that Jesus had a non-ministry job as well. He was a carpenter, working in the rough and tough world of construction.

Jesus spent a great deal of time in the workplace, and people were always watching him. Many tried to trip him up, and they would even get angry when he wouldn’t buckle under the pressure. But Jesus was always able to handle the stress of the workplace without compromising his character.

Isn’t it amazing how a person can be a compromising employee one minute and an angelic church attendee the next? Unlike Jesus, a lot of us cannot resist the urge to compartmentalize our lives. We pull into the parking lot at work and leave our biblical principles in the car. Meanwhile, we take part in unethical decisions and compromising choices, thinking that it is somehow unrelated to our spiritual relationship.

We think that we can have our faith world in one corner and our work world in another corner. We divide our lives into segments and then make choices in one area and think that it doesn’t affect the other areas in our life. But God never intended for our lives to be fragmented. Life only works when we take our faith with us everywhere we go, so that no matter what, we can represent the good character of Christ.

Lord, thank you for your example of integrity. There will always be times when I will be pressured to compartmentalize my life, but I pray that you will remind me of Jesus’ example and help me to live out my faith in all areas of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.