10 Careers That Need More Christians in Their Workforce

Is there any single group of people more powerfully than teachers? Think about it: the actions of teachers today completely impact the future. They often spend more waking hours with children than the children’s parents do, they show kids what is and isn’t appropriate behavior, and they’re among the first to call out gifts that live inside youth.

I’m mean, wow! What influential people.

Now, obviously, most teachers can’t proselytize in the class. But teachers can immensely impact their students’ faith journeys by praying for their students, showing them kindness and compassion, and continuing mentor relationships once their students have graduated.

It’s so important for children and youth to see adults outside their family members who are shining God’s light. There’s no better set of people to do this than teachers.

Nowadays, people are really up in arms at the mere mention of politics. So, before we get into what more Christian politicians would look like, let me mention this: I’m not saying that any political party is better than one another. Jesus died for every single person’s sin, no matter their political party.

Now, that being said, I think all governments could use more people who are seeking Christ’s will for the decisions their making. This doesn’t mean that I’m looking for a one-sided, super conservative Republican government. What I’d love to see is people taking office, whether local, national, or international, who pray for God’s guidance in their decisions, who are earnestly seeking the voice of God, and who are looking for real and tangible ways to show their constitutes the love of Jesus Christ. Imagine the world we’d live in if those were the types of people leading us.

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I don’t know about you, but I’m at the grocery store multiple times a week. The employees have seen me at my best and my worst. They see me first thing in the morning, right after work, or when I’m desperately trying to find the cold medicine.

I think that having such frequent exposure to a person gives a fantastic opportunity to show God’s love. In fact, I know this first hand.

Before getting married and moving, I had my go-to-grocery a few miles from my house. While all the employees were unbelievably friendly, one manager, Eric, really stood out. He always greeted me with a warm welcome and a genuine inquiry into how my day was going. When I’d return the question, his response was “It’s always a great day to give glory to God.” But not only did Eric shine God’s light in what he said, but his actions spoke even more to God’s goodness.

One day, while in the middle of a cold-induced emotional break-down, Eric greeted me in the medicine aisle. He could tell I was struggling to find the right medicine, so he went ahead and took my list and brought back a basket of soup, Gatorade, and tissues. I mean, come on! If that doesn’t shine God’s light, what does?

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Money is something everyone has to manage. And how we handle our cash can really speak to who God is. But one of the biggest misconceptions about Christianity is that God only cares about us for our money, and the church wants each and every one of our paychecks. But that’s just not true. Financial advisors have the unique opportunity to teach about proper spending, saving, giving and tithing while teaching about what God says about money.

Just think of the impact that Dave Ramsey has made in the lives of Christians regarding stewardship and glorifying God with the finances he’s given us.

Now imagine if Dave Ramsey’s Biblical thinking was shared by the other 200,000+ financial advisors in America. Not only would we see more economic freedom, but there’d also be more donations to churches and non-profit organizations. We’d see a radical impact in what happens in our neighborhoods, communities, states, and nations.

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It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling high-end luxury cars, own and operate a construction company, or you bake and sell cupcakes on the side, the world can use more Christian-business owners.

Business is regarded as a cut-throat industry. Sit in on a business course, and you’ll often hear about how you can be better than the competition, how you can cut costs and increase profit, and how you can get around certain loop-holes. And while some of these things are just part of running a business, it can be a slippery slope into unethical behavior.

Now, I’m not saying that all Christian business owners are ethical. Christians are flawed, too. But if we had more business owners operating under Christian principles, we’d see businesses giving back to the community, staying above industry standards of ethics, and genuinely serving people.

Judges are in such a high position of power in our communities. They can decide not only a person’s fate but the fate of an entire society with their rulings.

This is such a prominent place for Christians to be.

As precedent-setting-rulings come down, wouldn’t you want a judge who has prayed about the case, looked for Biblical wisdom on the issue, and has a moral compass that aligns with God?

And while not all judges make nation-changing decisions, don’t you want your local judges to rule with wisdom and grace? What if communities started to reflect the grace and mercy Jesus extended to us? How would our community attitudes shift? While it wouldn’t be perfect, I think it’s worth a shot.

Similar to judges, law enforcement employees are pivotal to the community. They are risking their lives daily to protect and serve us. This is a sacrifice that we should never take for granted.  But in the wake of unjustified deaths, law enforcement officers are receiving a lot of negative attention. But, more Christian officers might help to reduce these incidents.

First and foremost, if more officers were Christian, they would have a better support system. They could cover each other in prayer for their time on the clock, help each other process the day’s work, and glean wisdom from one another.

The result of that change would be officers who are slower to use unnecessary force, quicker to minister to the people in their custody, and less presumptuous in certain situations.

I whole-heartedly believe that every person should talk to a counselor. To be able to speak to someone who isn’t biased, is educated on the human thoughts and feelings, and whose primary goal is your mental health is an invaluable gift.

The world is growing more and more digital, and it’s now possible to compare yourself to hundreds of people a day. On top of all of this, you’re constantly being bombarded with headlines, tweets, likes, and shares. With it becoming more difficult to disconnect, your identity gets watered-down and wrapped up in worldly constructs.

To have a counselor who is not only trained in psychology but also rooted in Christianity helps you to growth the health of your mind, soul, and spirit. They can help you to remember your identity as a son or daughter of the King of Kings, and they can help you to seek healing in Jesus Christ.

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Doctors and nurses have the powerful opportunity to be there for the best and the worst moments of your life.

The knowledge that the medical staff is Christian provides a layer of peace and comfort. They can pray for patients and their families before an operation, in the wake of big news, or, unfortunately, after a death. They can exemplify the fruit of the Spirit (think: peace, patience, kindness, gentleness) to patients, and they may even be given the opportunity to talk about their spiritual beliefs with a patient now faced with the idea of death.

Most importantly, doctors and nurses can offer a word of comfort based on Biblical truth. They can remind us of the grand scheme of things. That we are not meant for this earth, and this is our temporary home.

The media today is vicious. The news is filled with name-calling, rudeness, half-truths, and the desire to embarrass anyone who doesn’t agree with your take on the issue.

This leaves a lot to be desired in the area of Christianity and journalism.

But, much like with politicians, I don’t want journalists to all be Christian so we can have a media that only believes one side of the issue. I want to see more Christians in the media, so people extend grace to one another. It’s time to step up and implement the golden rule. No more of this name-calling, people-bashing, immature behavior. Let’s rise to the occasion and speak the truth in love and kindness. Explain your take on the issue, listen with patience, agree to disagree and move on.

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Lindsey Brady is a new wife and stepmother who loves to spend time in nature or going or long runs. When she’s feeling a bit more sedentary, she’ll watch an entire season of any Food Network show in a single sitting. You can follow her on Instagram at real.slim.brady.