Published courtesy of spirituality.com. Used by permission.


It had been a while since my last freelance job. I'd searched the employment ads, but no luck. I kept networking and calling everyone I knew for ideas. Of course I updated my resume, trying to think up new ways to present myself. And I kept praying to know God had something great for me to do just waiting around the corner.

But as time wore on and no job came my way, I began to lose my confidence. I called a friend for support because she thinks along spiritual lines. I knew she'd have an inspired idea.

"Is your resume up to date?" she asked.

"Of course," I told her.

"Not your paper resume. Your spiritual resume!"

I had to admit I didn't know what she was talking about. She clarified: Had I described my work experience from a spiritual perspective? Had I put in writing the valuable lessons learned from each job experience, and told why they had blessed me and others?

I'd had no problem creatively listing all my past jobs and experience. But to be honest, not all of them seemed like blessings. There were instances of misunderstanding, miscommunication, lack of respect for work accomplished, and even sabotage by a co-worker.My friend was now asking me to think in a new direction--to see these experiences as proof that I was learning more, gaining expertise, responding better--that I was making progress all the time! So I revised my outlook and wrote out my work history like this: in one job, I learned to communicate new ideas better; in another, I learned how to love others' contributions more; and so on. But then I went further.

Thinking about myself and others as supported by God's spiritual goodness, I realized I was not a victim of how other people viewed me--nor were they a victim of my mistaken notions about them. Individuals, even bosses, don't really have the power to adversely harm my life, career, or progress. I had to be clear about that and realize God--good--alone is the ultimate employer.

This new view of myself, acknowledging the growth and progress I'd made, replaced the view that I was just banging around life, trying to learn things and sometimes making a mess of it. And as this view became clearer, I saw ways I could revise my paper resume to better reflect my best qualities. This new resume called for copies--I was eager to send it out!

So I ran to the copy shop. While I was waiting in line to pay for my copies, a man looked at my resume and asked me to phone his assistant. A few weeks later, I had a job in a whole new area for me, with a salary almost twice what I had been earning before.

Now, this new boss was not easy to work for. In fact he had a temper like you wouldn't believe. But I had no doubt that the timing of our meeting was far more than luck. To me it was evidence that the new spiritual outlook I'd gained brought practical results.

So when things got tough, I'd affirm that I could find the blessing in this job for me, my co-workers, and the boss. And even though the job only lasted the four months he said it would, I was not only farther ahead financially, but I was absolutely on the top of my game. I had learned so much more about what I could achieve professionally and spiritually.

To this day, I consider this one of the best working experiences I have ever had. And I believe he felt I was a really good worker too. In fact, after spending a month working side by side, he told me that I had helped him in more ways than he could ever adequately thank me for.

Even now I keep my spiritual resume up to date, even though I'm not currently looking for a job. In fact, focusing on God's view of me defines all the work I do. What's your resume look like these days?