I looked for him everywhere. Our church meets in a high school, and he’s not usually hard to find. I gave up the search and walked into the auditorium to pray before our next service started. I glanced up at the balcony where our production team works the magic that connects us to our mother campus 75 miles away. There he was, talking to a friend who recently reached out for some medical advice.
Nearly 25 years ago, I became his bride. From New Hampshire to Indiana to Texas, I walked by his side as he forged faithfully through medical school and residency, wrapping up with a fellowship in cardiology.
It was a long and difficult road, and I have a confession to make…in those early days, I lived with a secret wish that he’d chosen to be a pastor instead.
At the time, my definition of a spiritual man included professional clergy like pastors and missionaries, as well as those who found pleasure in pouring over theological texts. In my immaturity, it didn’t occur to me that a spiritual man could simply be someone who lives with integrity, pursuing the calling for which God clearly created him. I’m so grateful God opened my eyes to the truth that our lives aren’t divided into the secular and the sacred.
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.”
1 Corinthians 7:17
Who we are, what we do and why we do it are made holy in Christ Jesus.
The key for any of us seeking to bridge the gap in our minds between secular work and sacred calling is found in the simplicity of the gospel. Before the foundation of the world, the Lord knew us, determined we would be His, and set before us a brief and beautiful life. And so we live…as carpenters and cardiologists, as mothers and merchants, as pastors and prophets…bridging the gap as we respond to who He is and what He’s done.
My husband’s work isn’t sacred because he offers free medical advice on Sunday mornings or makes house calls on the weekends. It isn’t sacred because he prays for patients and shares God’s Word with them. It isn’t sacred because he acknowledges his human limitations and God’s unlimited power. His work is sacred because he does those things out of a love for God and a love for his neighbor.
And that, my friends, is what defines a spiritual man.
