I No Longer Liked Who I Was
Blog / Produced by The High Calling
Seth Miller is a Nasdaq trader in New York City with a compelling and courageous personal story. I invited him to speak one Sunday as part of my sermon, and this is an excerpt:
"Several years ago, I had a crisis of faith. My job was all consuming. I lived for work. I left home at 4 a.m. and did not return before 11 or 12 at night. I worked and played hard—entertaining clients nightly was the norm. One morning, I actually listened to my wife when she asked me who was I trying to become? I didn't have the answer. At the price of advancement at work, I had lost myself and estranged myself from God, my family, and friends. In short, I was constantly angry, manipulative, over-competitive, and bitter. I no longer liked who I was.
"I asked God for help, and over time I discovered my prayers being answered. Somehow, my obsession with work as life's highest priority began to diminish. I have a growing knowledge of who I am as a child of God and stepping out on an adventure to follow his vision for my life rather than my own. I love trading, but it no longer consumes me. I find my priorities shifting from ‘all about me' to Jesus and my family."
Question for discussion:
• What consumes you?
"Several years ago, I had a crisis of faith. My job was all consuming. I lived for work. I left home at 4 a.m. and did not return before 11 or 12 at night. I worked and played hard—entertaining clients nightly was the norm. One morning, I actually listened to my wife when she asked me who was I trying to become? I didn't have the answer. At the price of advancement at work, I had lost myself and estranged myself from God, my family, and friends. In short, I was constantly angry, manipulative, over-competitive, and bitter. I no longer liked who I was.
"I asked God for help, and over time I discovered my prayers being answered. Somehow, my obsession with work as life's highest priority began to diminish. I have a growing knowledge of who I am as a child of God and stepping out on an adventure to follow his vision for my life rather than my own. I love trading, but it no longer consumes me. I find my priorities shifting from ‘all about me' to Jesus and my family."
Question for discussion:
• What consumes you?
The demands, pressures and stress of work can put a huge strain on relationships with our coworkers. This 4-day plan from Theology of Work Project and Workmatters provides simple steps you can take to be more loving to your coworkers that will transform those relationships and increase both joy and productivity at work.