In my last post, I talked about how you can know when it is time to quit your job. In many ways, it is easier to know when to quit. Yet the pressure of your “life context” can make you keep working in a toxic work situation longer than you should.

However, some jobs are definitely worth the sacrifice you must make to keep them! When you find one of these, it is worth it to stay where you are rather than to run away from it.

How can you tell the difference? Below, you will find four questions you can ask to know for sure whether you should keep your job, or not.

Question 1: Do you have a great boss?

If so, keep your job, and make it work. Job satisfaction is worth far more than the money you make. And who knows? With time, you may move into a position that will make you so glad you stuck it out!

I learned this tip from my dear friend Mark Vaillancourt. Just before he got to start working at Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala, he told me about his job.

Mark worked as a handyman for a guy who truly cared for him and his family. His boss would often ask how they were doing. Their work relationship was much more than a paycheck. It was a deep friendship, a mutual rivalry between boss and employee to give out more than they received.

Mark and his boss made a deep impression on me.

I found such bosses at the Bar Harbor Inn. Whether it’s Jeremy the General Manager, David the Owner, or Josh and Laura, my supervisors, I’ve been blessed with the best. In the challenges I’ve faced, they genuinely care about how their guests, and employees, are doing.

What’s your boss like? If you have a great boss, then with time, everything else will fall into place.

Question 2: Do you love your job?

Do you wake up each morning, excited to go to work? If so, you should keep your job.

I remember well the day I started working at the Bar Harbor Inn, in September 2019. My new coworkers were very kind and made me feel as welcome as possible.

I was coming from Walmart, and the work environment was obviously very different. At first, I felt somewhat out of place.. and yet, SO privileged with the opportunity to serve here.

I love helping guests have a great vacation on Mount Desert Island, by taking care of them during their stay with us. Their stories inspire me, especially when I see a married couple who obviously love just being together.

How do you feel about your job? If you love it, keep it!

Question 3: Has your workplace become your ministry?

I had a wonderful Mom. She died several years ago, while I was in Chad.

From the time we returned from Kuwait as a family, she found several teaching jobs. She taught at one of the last one-room schoolhouses left in Vermont. Then, she taught Kindergarten at the Christian school run by her home church. She also had Kid’s Clubs in her home, where many heard the Good News, and trusted in Christ.

She always called it “My Ministry”.

As she was getting weaker over time, she kept on doing whatever her strength allowed her to, to bless us, to bless our kids, and the children and parents in their village and their church.

How about you? Has God blessed you with the opportunity to help others through the challenges they face? If so, make every sacrifice you can to stay where you are.

Question 4: Does your job open up future opportunities?

Sometimes, your job opens up opportunities for advancement within the company. At other times, the work experience prepares you to serve in other places… maybe even overseas!

Working at Walmart in Chicopee, Massachusetts allowed me to transfer up to Ellsworth, Maine, when it was time.

Where might God bring you in the future, with the job where you serve today?

To stay at The Inn, I had to sacrifice

When my first season ended in November 2019, my leaders were gracious enough to keep me on through the winter. I worked as part of the maintenance crew who got to renovate the Main Inn together. As amazing as those rooms were before, I never thought they could look like this!

This job provided me with a place to live (employee housing) during the winter. I know of no other job that does this.

In this world of big box stores and online shopping, a great place to work is very difficult to find. Once you find it, everything else will work itself out over time. Keep your job, and stay where you are.

My next blog post will be about what happened when I got laid off from my job due to the Coronavirus.

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