Recently, the actor Geoffrey Owens, who played the Huxtables’ son-in-law on The Cosby Show, was spotted working at a Trader Joe’s in New Jersey. The woman who spotted Owens took pictures and posted them on social media. She stated, “It made me feel really bad! I was like, ‘Wow, all those years of doing the [Cosby] show, and you ended up as a cashier.’’’
Naturally, the woman’s comments generated quite a bit of media frenzy at the suggestion that Owens should be ashamed for working at a grocery store after being an actor. Fellow actors came to Owens’ defense, mentioning that often from one show to the next an actor has to take on side jobs to make ends meet. Certainly no shame should be experienced, especially since the vast majority of actors are not millionaires and acknowledge that acting is not always a full-time job. It is also interesting to note Trader Joe’s is a pretty good company to work for, as far as retail jobs go. The grocery chain is on Glassdoor’s 100 Best Places to Work in 2018, pays an above-average minimum wage, offers annual bonuses, and provides health insurance and retirement benefits for even part-time workers.
Perhaps the most alarming point from this story is that we often equate one’s value with his or her job. For most of us, after brief introduction to someone new, the question comes up, “What do you do for a living?” We have grown to determine the importance of an individual based on his or her occupation or perceived status in life. How easy it is to forget that regardless of what business you happen to be in, every worker and job is important — from the janitor who sweeps the floors to the person who cheerfully delivers the mail.
Sometimes Even Bosses Forget This Important Fact!
Once I worked for a boss who never spoke to her employees if she was with one of her managers. On one occasion I was in an elevator, and watched as she entered the elevator with her manager, politely introducing this manager to another manager standing in the elevator, while completely ignoring the fact I was present. Perhaps if I was a vice president I, too, would have received an introduction.
This type of favoritism is not unique to the secular workforce: we often make the same mistakes in the Body of Christ by developing our opinion of individuals based on their vocation or our perception of their station in life. The Apostle James made the observation, “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (James 2:2–4)
Years ago when our family spent months looking for a church home, people at churches we visited would ask, “What do you do for a living?” Just once I would like to have said, “I am a Christian, secretly disguised as a [fill-in-the-blank] for [XYZ Company]!” Can you imagine what their response would be?
Should Our Professional Occupation or Church Vocation Matter?
Unfortunately, everyone cannot have six-figure jobs. In fact, the majority of jobs in our country are related to retail and supermarkets. These include retail sales, cashiers, food preparation and serving, waiters and waitresses, and customer service representatives. The same can be said about work in the church. Everyone cannot be a pastor. There is an equal need for ushers, greeters, teachers, deacons, and elders as well. God isn’t concerned about our specific job title or job description, but He cares about how we use our profession or vocation to honor Him.
The Most Important Thing about Our Profession!
God sees neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, but all as one in Christ. He never shows partiality when it comes to salvation: We all must come through His Son, Jesus Christ. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) If the Boss Man of this world allows us to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Him, shouldn’t we view others the same way?
First Corinthians 3:9 reminds us, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” This work is reflected in our relationship with others regardless of race, creed, color, or vocation. Hence, we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” And despite the challenges of our jobs, when we work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Boss, somehow each day becomes a great Labor Day!
By Dr. L.W. Edwards
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