Stop Chasing the Money, Pursue Meaningful Work Instead

Excerpted from my brown suede leather “Dragon” journal on April 7, 2022

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that God is always at work for our good and always has our best interests at heart (Romans 8:28). In a few short months, we’ll be parents. Regarding the baby’s arrival, our plan is for Melissa (my wife) to keep pursuing her teaching and tutoring career—as well as continue pursuing writing and publishing deals. Meanwhile, I’ll remain at home to do chores and care for the baby. (See my Now Page Archives for the initial update on DJ's arrival.)

I often get discouraged that:

These thoughts in mind, what’s God’s plan in all of this? Is He intentionally blocking my efforts in an attempt to corral me into some other journey in life? Will He eventually show His favor by blessing my products and services with profit?

Or it it something else entirely, something I won’t know until the baby arrives and I’ve spent some time living life as a father? Is there something still yet to manifest itself in the process of our upcoming everyday new lifestyle, in other words?

On the one hand I feel, in some capacity at least, it’s up to each individual to choose and pursue their goals and dreams with the help of God. But on the other, is there ever a time where God is directing you to some other goal or pursuit, and you just keep hitting a wall and coming up short no matter what you do?

The latter describes me for the past several years. It’s like I’m stuck in a loop of “try this” then reset, “try that,” reset. Yes, some videos get produced; some songs get recorded, mixed and released; some blog posts and courses get published; but what’s it all for if no steady revenue is produced in all these efforts—countless hours of writing, mixing, editing, et al, ad nauseam?

Perhaps the revenue/profit mindset is the ultimate culprit in all this. Chasing the money. Something I’m well acquainted with. But if chasing the money hasn’t worked over the past ten to twelve years, why not quit making it a part of my business plan altogether?

Think of it as the job I’ve been hating all these years. Much like my manic desire to quit the world of corporate work just before I got laid off in 2012, why not “quit” chasing the money altogether?

Do it for love not money, in other words.

View sales as a skill I'm learning instead of the end-all-be-all. View sales as a “means to an end,” the “end” being taking pride in my work and loving what I do. As the saying goes, “Follow your passion and the money will take care of itself.” (Not that passion is the ultimate pursuit. See writings and books by Cal Newport, author of Deep Work.)

Now, turn that around to align with the Bible’s perspective in Matthew chapter 6. Before Jesus fed the multitudes with loaves and fishes, He told them (His disciples and apostles being present also) to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (emphasis mine). They all needed to realize that God would provide for them just like—nay, even more so—He does for the flowers of the field and the fowls of the air (Matt. 6:26–30).

I myself know this; I’ve read it time and time again. But as I preached a few Sunday’s back (see "Laws that Govern Man" sermon from March 2022 on my wife's website), my flesh gets in the way of my desire to follow God’s laws “after the inward man” (Romans 7:22). The flesh is constantly warring after the “law of my mind” so that I can’t do the things I know to be true and end up doing those things contrary to the truth (Rom. 7:23, 15–20). I feel like a child having to be reminded over and over again of its lack of understanding and obedience. Soon I’ll understand this even more when the baby arrives.

I expect I’ll understand many more concepts as they relate to God our  heavenly Father, during the process of my own fatherhood. This is why I wonder if things might finally “click” for me when I begin the process of parenthood.

Thankfully, some things have already clicked while writing this entry, especially the whole “quit chasing the money” and “switch jobs” mindsets.

For now, I feel I’ve tapped the creative well enough for today. It might be a good practice to focus on the concepts mined in this entry until the next entry is written; see if I can make them stick. So I’ll summarize them here:

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