Today, Grace (my 10 year old daughter) and I are spending the day together for a school project called Career Day. She is supposed to find out what my job is, make a poster, and present the information to the class. The goal is to give students an idea of the type of jobs that await them when they enter the workforce. The underlying question today has been, “WHAT DO YOU DO, DADDY?”

This question has left me perplexed. I want to say, “My dear daughter, I am responsible for leading people spiritually.” However, my mind races to days of setting up cubicles, fixing locked computers, and dealing with truck malfunctions. Even as I write this my daughter swivels her chair in mild boredom to what awaits her today. But, that is because the question of “What” I do is not nearly as relevant as “Why”. Understanding why I do what I do is what, for me, Career Day is all about.

Grace says, “My dad has one of the most interesting jobs that is the least understood.” She is excited about how cubicles, trucks, labels, computers, and a whole grocery list more of seemingly mundane duties translates into people growing closer to God by understanding where they lie in His story. She seems to understand that it takes the daily tasks of everyday ministry to prepare for making Sunday happen. I like that. There is an important lesson to us all that can be answered in the question “why do you do what you do?” For me, I do it because I can’t do anything else. I hope Grace will see that today.

–Written with Grace Barker on Career Day.