What’s the next step after university? This is a question that I was asked repeatedly in my final year of studying. It felt like I had just got my head around how to live out my faith at university and suddenly I was having to think about life after graduation. This can feel both exciting and scary, with the balance fluctuating between the two.
I graduated in 2019 and I am now working as an intern for Christians in Politics and I have learnt a lot along the way about living out God’s call on my life through the world of work.
The Bible guides us on how to live our lives so that we can glorify God using our unique gifts. There is nowhere in the Bible that specifies which career path you should choose, but we do know that every Christian is called to be an influence on the world around them. We spend a third of our lives in work- that’s 90,000 hours over the course of our lifetime. Our careers provide an amazing opportunity to show others God’s love through our actions and words and to see his Kingdom come here on earth.
Being salt and light
With this in mind, some of you may be surprised by the title of this post. Surely politics is a separate sphere from faith? Isn’t the Christian mission to share the good news about Jesus very different from the world of politics? At Christians in Politics (before pandemic times!), we spend a lot of time travelling around the country talking to Christians about what it means to be involved in the political sphere. Some argue that helping our communities and tackling injustice through politics is great but investing time in how we are governed would inevitably mean less time telling people about their need for Jesus. This sacred-secular divide- the idea that serving God must inherently mean working in full-time Christian ministry- is biblically flawed.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls each of us to be ‘salt and light’ to the world (Matthew 5:13-6.) Salt is a preservative and to be effective, it must be in contact with the food it is to preserve. For us in our daily lives, this means we must be actively involved where we work and where we live. Christians are called to work in all spheres of society because as we read in Psalm 24, ‘“the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” It is when we show up and engage with our world that we can influence what happens in our nation and pray His Kingdom Come.
Politics- Taking the Next Step
In the midst of the Brexit and COVID-19 crises, politics has become more important than ever. As we address the challenges of the pandemic and recovery, we as Christians are called to show up actively and prayerfully through politics in order to see a transformation in our communities and nation. We long for the sight of young passionate Christians working together in government, locally and nationally to bring about God's Kingdom in our United Kingdom. And at Young Christians in Politics, we are wondering if you might be one of them.
Do you want to take The Next Step? On February 10th, we are holding The Next Step event where you can find out more about getting involved in government and politics after university and explore what it means to make politics your mission field. Join us as we speak to MPs and graduate scheme representatives about what working in politics is like and why Christians are called to this sphere. There will be an interactive Q+A time with the panel and the chance to join breakout rooms to find out more about the graduate opportunities at the end of the event. I would love to see you there!
If you are interested in attending the event, you can sign up here. You are also very welcome to join our Young Christians in Politics Facebook group.
This blog was written by Stephanie who works for Christians in Politics and coordinates Young Christians in Politics. Christians in Politics' mission is to inspire and encourage Christians to get involved in politics and public life.
