THE DRATTED DAY-JOB--by Christine Lindsay

Is there anyone out there like me who gets stressed going to a day-job? Anyone who gets that nervous swirl in the pit your stomach as you drive to work, dreading confrontations with unhappy customers, or that you won’t be able to complete your assigned tasks to the quality expected?

A few weeks ago I started a new day-job. I call it the day-job because it's not my career. My day-job is the work that financially supports the real labor of my heart. Not many writers of Christian fiction make enough money to support themselves full-time. But then none of us are in it for the money anyway.

But I need a regular pay-check to pay the bills.

The week I started my new job in a department store doing product demonstrations, I was praying hard that the Lord would meet me at work and smooth things out so that I wouldn’t be totally stressed. At the same time the book of Ruth was next in my Bible to read for my daily devotions.

I’ve read the book of Ruth numerous times. Always thought of it as one of the sweetest love stories ever told, a love story between Boaz and Ruth, but also between Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi.

But as I read this love story my eyes gleaned something I’d never seen before. Having to support herself and Naomi, the only work Ruth could find was the physical labor of gleaning barley in a field that belonged to Boaz. I’d known for a long time that Boaz was inspired by God to notice Ruth because God had plans for their romance and the offspring of that love. But this was the first time I noticed how God smoothed the stresses out of Naomi’s work day.

Boaz instructed his work-hands to ensure that Ruth was not stressed by others. His female servants were to take Ruth under their wing and keep her day peaceful. Not only was Ruth's workday made as easy as possible, Boaz arranged for her to receive bonus product to take home at the end of the day.

At a time I needed it most, the Lord opened my eyes to an element in this love story that gave me peace as I drove to my new job. I asked Him in prayer to do for me what He’d instructed Boaz to do for Ruth.

And, just like Ruth, the Lord saw that other workers in the department store were around when I needed help. There were smiles of encouragement, and no one to stress me out. People were just there when I needed help me put up my awkward sign at the start of my day, and at the end of the day to take it down.

God really does care about every aspect of our life. We just have to open our eyes to see the intimacies of God's love for us, as I've written into the fictional story of my characters.

But most of all He cares about the real day-job of a Christian writer so that I can pay my bills and keep going with the ministry of my heart---writing Christian fiction to encourage others in the faith.

I hope you'll drop by my website www.ChristineLindsay.com and visit with me. I'm so grateful to the Lord for providing in so many ways to allow me to see my debut novel, Shadowed in Silk, be released this year. Shadowed in Silk was the Gold winner of the 2009 ACFW Genesis for historical novel. And thanks to Him, He's providing so I can continue to write. Next book is on it's way.