As I climbed into my car, on the last day of a job I’ve held for 8 years, the radio jolted me. I had cranked it up on the way in this morning, jamming out so I could enter the office with some positive energy and not be sad about leaving or scared about going. After I adjusted the volume, I laughed. The song on the radio was by Michelle Branch. It’s called, “Are you happy now?” 

I took it as a not so subtle reminder from God that it doesn’t really matter if I’m in my old job, my  new job or yet another new job. My old house. My current house. A different house. On a beach. On a mountain. If I turn to the wrong source for my happiness, I’ll be left unsatisfied.

All along the way, the decision to take a new job was frightening for me. You are probably tired of reading about it at this point. And while I continue to believe that it will strengthen my faith by requiring me to trust God more, I think I’ve been putting too much emphasis on it in terms of how much it actually changes me. Of course it changes a lot in terms of my daily life. But it’s still a job. It is intended to pay the bills. It should not define me, or prevent me from being in relationship with God or investing in my family and friends. It has literally no impact on my happiness and my peace. The source for that remains the same.

When I got home, I spent some time with my wife and kids, and then I picked up The Naked Now by Richard Rohr. I’ve quoted this book before, but I had all but forgotten about it after it was buried beneath mail and magazines on our kitchen counter. I picked up where I left off many months ago, and wouldn’t you know it, the first two pages I read were focused on “change.”  Rohr states that as individuals, and even as churches, we usually ignore things that require actual change of our lifestyle, security system or dualistic thought patterns and instead we emphasis intellectual beliefs and moral superiority stances that ask little of us.  Rohr suggests that  we naturally divert our attention from anything that “would ask you to change, to righteous causes that invariably ask others to change.”

I take all that to mean that one of my favorite, old-school, hip hop groups was right when they said, “You need to check yo self before you wreck yo self.” Who knew that they were laying down some philosophy at the same time they were calling for us all to shake our rumps?

Too often, I get caught up in addressing the superficial in my life. Moving furniture around. Determining better ways to pay bills. Trying to keep my backyard green. Trying to be successful at the office. Trying to find the perfect job. And I let changes in these areas, big and small, take precedence over spiritual concerns. Over the last month, I’ve been 110 percent consumed with the new job and all the emotions I described previously. It’s been unhealthy for my family time and even more so my spiritual walk. At the end of the day, I truly believe that God finds my place of employment largely irrelevant in terms of His relationship with me. I could change jobs a thousand times in a year, and God would have the same expectations and desires for my heart.

I’m in for a big year of change professionally. My new gig couldn’t be more different from my old one. But I’m more excited about the changes I expect to experience internally. Getting serious again about asking God what He has for me. The real change He wants for me that will lead to change in others.

When God says to me (or maybe sings to me, I don’t know): “Look me in the eyes, and tell me are you happy now?” I want to have a good answer for that.