Well, once again I am in a new office. This time, I have not only moved offices (a common thing for me), but am joining a firm again. It has been 16 years since I have been in a law firm office with other attorneys. It will be interesting to be in a place where you can talk with other people about the things you are doing (a good), where they can talk to you about anything they want to talk about (both good and bad), and where someone can keep track of what you are doing (well, mostly not good).
My years on my own taught me a lot of things, primary among them being that I really am not a businessman at all My problem is that while I practice law to make my living, I am much more interested in preaching and teaching than in practicing law. Years pass and youth wanes, of course, but we change in many ways. In my case, a lot of it has to do with practicing law. It is a good thing to be able to do, and it is good to do it well, but it is ultimately unsatisfying.
Two thoughts come from this.
First, of course, is that it is not supposed to be satisfying. A job (or a career) is just a means to make a living. Living is more important and more enjoyable. I am not sure why lawyers think they should enjoy practicing law any more than a ditch digger should enjoy digging ditches. Enjoying your work is a nice benefit if God allows it to you, but not a requirement by any stretch of the imagination. If enjoyment was the key, how would most work get done in our world?
Second, as time passes, I grow more focused on eternal things. I used to preach every week and loved it. Then, after moving to Georgia, I sat in the pew like everyone else and listened to preaching. Recently, i have had the chance to serve as an interim pastor a couple of times, preaching every week. I realized how much I had missed that experience and how much I enjoyed it.
For years, I knew that if a choice came between preaching and practicing law for a living, I would keep preaching. Now, I think it would be a much different choice.
We change. All of us change year by year. The things we loved once no longer thrill us. The things we used to find boring we begin to enjoy. Movies we once hated now seem really good to us, while movies we once loved now seem trite and boring.
So, I am in a new office, with new co-workers, and (hopefully) new work. We will see how it goes.
My years on my own taught me a lot of things, primary among them being that I really am not a businessman at all My problem is that while I practice law to make my living, I am much more interested in preaching and teaching than in practicing law. Years pass and youth wanes, of course, but we change in many ways. In my case, a lot of it has to do with practicing law. It is a good thing to be able to do, and it is good to do it well, but it is ultimately unsatisfying.
Two thoughts come from this.
First, of course, is that it is not supposed to be satisfying. A job (or a career) is just a means to make a living. Living is more important and more enjoyable. I am not sure why lawyers think they should enjoy practicing law any more than a ditch digger should enjoy digging ditches. Enjoying your work is a nice benefit if God allows it to you, but not a requirement by any stretch of the imagination. If enjoyment was the key, how would most work get done in our world?
Second, as time passes, I grow more focused on eternal things. I used to preach every week and loved it. Then, after moving to Georgia, I sat in the pew like everyone else and listened to preaching. Recently, i have had the chance to serve as an interim pastor a couple of times, preaching every week. I realized how much I had missed that experience and how much I enjoyed it.
For years, I knew that if a choice came between preaching and practicing law for a living, I would keep preaching. Now, I think it would be a much different choice.
We change. All of us change year by year. The things we loved once no longer thrill us. The things we used to find boring we begin to enjoy. Movies we once hated now seem really good to us, while movies we once loved now seem trite and boring.
So, I am in a new office, with new co-workers, and (hopefully) new work. We will see how it goes.