By Natasha Ampumuza

Not all God-glorifying work always comes with financial reward.

Some work forms us before it financially rewards us; therefore, who we look to while doing it matters, eternally.

As a legal trainee and a Christian, I have often pondered how to thrive in a workspace, excelling professionally amidst pressures to “earn better, secure better deals, build a name early” while skipping as many learning processes as possible towards “securing the bag,” as is often the case in my profession. 

In all that, it’s possible for me to miss how God is shaping me in this season. Could I be missing this invitation to pursue resilience, skill, and dependence on Him? In a world where legal work and faith are seen as two things, I am convinced too that my life in legal practice can be lived “Coram Deo,” that is, “before the face of God.”

But how? Any legal activity that serves the good of others and is offered to God in faith-rooted obedience is legal Christian work, meaning I am to do this work heartily as unto the Lord and not man, knowing that from the Lord we will receive the inheritance as our reward, for we are “serving the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

A famous quote by FF Bruce while commenting on this particular verse goes.

“Far more culpable is the attitude of modern “clock-watchers” who have contracted to serve their employer and receive an agreed remuneration for their labor. But Christian slaves or Christian employees today have the highest of all motives for faithful and conscientious performance of duty; they are above all else servants of Christ and will work first and foremost so as to please Him.”

This extends to whatever workspace I occupy and whatever position I hold, whether as a trainee or full-time employee; my light must shine before the world so that they see my good deeds and praise my Father in heaven. And so, it’s never about my own abilities or whether the supervisor sees or appreciates me but about Christ alone.

Josh Etter, in an insightful article on glorifying God in workplaces, points out the fact that all legitimate work is holy or unholy before God based on our faith, not the nature of the work itself. And we all can agree that in regard to my profession, secular thinking seems to dominate. 

Legal training often requires cultivation of patience not only as a fruit of the Holy Spirit but also as a Christian virtue, which then sustains one in formal employment and beyond. It is not merely for career preparation but also an active opportunity to serve and steward with integrity and excellence what God has placed before you now in the season.

In a world where productivity is often associated with having a paying job, making more money, and desiring and wanting to achieve the most in the shortest time possible, Christian trainees, volunteers, job-seeking personnel, part-timers, and even fully employed people can be tempted to write off working in the “audience of one.”

The truth, however, is that there is no group for whom productivity is more important than Christians. Believers in Jesus Christ can leverage the skill of personal productivity to bring glory to God.

In this learning role as an intern, I’m often assigned different tasks with 24-hour turnaround times that sometimes leave me exhausted, yet at the back of my mind, I am reminded to train accomplishing, without pay, for my own formation, too.

These experiences have taught me that productivity is not merely about stewarding time wisely but also about understanding that integrity in such given tasks is sustained by accountability in the workspace. 

And so, whether you are a trainee or a volunteer or in full employment, in whatever stage of life you are in in terms of employment, your mandate is higher not to men but to God, remembering that whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or work, do it all to make God look as great as He really is.

May our pursuit of learner excellence draw many to the ultimate lawgiver and lawkeeper, Jesus, our ultimate hope.

The writer is a trainee at the legal department, Parliament of Uganda

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