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Finding Purpose in the Grind: How Faith Transforms Your 9-to-5 (Even When You Hate It)

avodah biblical manhood business as mission christian career advice christian dad christian entrepreneur christian parenting work life balance erik cooper stone table faith and work faith at work great commission business it is finished jesus job burnout christian kingdom entrepreneur men's ministry purpose in work ryan fields-spack sacred secular divide tetelestai theology of work work as worship Nov 20, 2025

Hey Dad,

If you’re reading this right now, chances are Monday morning feels heavier than your kid’s backpack on the first day of school. You’re providing, you’re showing up, you’re paying the mortgage and the braces and the dance lessons… but deep down something’s off. The alarm goes off and your first thought isn’t “Thank you Jesus for another day,” it’s “How many days until Friday?”

You’re not alone.

I sat down with Erik Cooper from The Stone Table (a Business as Mission organization that’s been funding global missions through marketplace profits for over 30 years), and what he shared wrecked me in the best way possible. Erik’s not some ivory-tower theologian — he’s a former auditor who once spent Christmas Eve on a freezing scissor lift counting widgets, wondering what cosmic mistake landed him there.

This post is for you — the dad who loves Jesus (or wants to), loves his family, but sometimes struggles to connect the dots between Sunday worship and Tuesday spreadsheets.

Here are the biggest takeaways from our conversation, plus the exact next steps I want you to take before you close this tab.

1. Your Job Isn’t Punishing You — It’s Shaping You (Even the Terrible Ones)

Erik’s “scissor-lift moment” in 1997 is now legendary in his world. Newly married, fresh out of college, freezing his tail off counting inventory on Christmas Eve. He felt like God was punishing him.

Sound familiar?

Most of us have been there. That toxic boss in Chicago. The soul-crushing corporate grind. The side hustle that feels like it’s going nowhere.

Here’s what Erik learned (and what I needed to hear): Every job — even the miserable ones — is part of God’s curriculum for your life.

Looking back, Erik sees how public accounting built discipline, attention to detail, and resilience that he uses every single day in ministry and business.

Your current role? It’s not an accident. It’s training ground.

2. Stop Asking Your Job to Do What Only Jesus Can Do

We men are notorious for this. We chase the next promotion, the next raise, the next title… because somewhere deep down we believe “If I can just get the work thing right, I’ll finally feel like I’m enough.”

Erik calls this idolatry with a capital I.

Work can’t fill the God-shaped hole in your soul. Only Jesus can.

When we expect our jobs to give us identity, purpose, and ultimate satisfaction, we’re guaranteed disappointment. But when we let Jesus fill that space first? Suddenly even mundane tasks-tier work becomes sacred.

3. Two Words That Will Change How You See Monday Morning

Erik has these tattooed (yes, tattooed) and etched into everything he does:

Tetelestai (Greek) – “It is finished.” Avodah (Hebrew) – Work = Worship = Service

Tetelestai was a marketplace term stamped on paid receipts: PAID IN FULL. Jesus’ last words on the cross weren’t “I am finished” — they were “IT is finished.” The debt is paid. The gap between you and God is closed forever.

That means you don’t work FOR God’s approval. You work FROM it.

And Avodah? In the Old Testament, the same Hebrew word is used for digging a ditch and worshipping in the temple. Your forklift, your spreadsheet, your sales calls — when done as unto the Lord, they are literally acts of worship.

Mind. Blown.

4. When You Hate Your Job But Can’t Quit (Yet)

Golden handcuffs are real. Mortgage, orthodontist bills, college funds — you can’t just peace out.

Erik’s tactical advice:

Bring it to Jesus in prayer (daily). Ask Him to either change your heart or change your circumstances.
Get 2-3 trusted brothers around you and pray together about it. No lone-wolf Christianity.
Reframe the job through Tetelestai and Avodah: How does this role let me love God and love people today?
Ask: “Is my discomfort shaping me… or is God nudging me to move?” (Sometimes it’s both.)

Discomfort isn’t always the enemy. Sometimes it’s the chisel.

5. Leveling Up Without the Guilt

A lot of us feel weird about wanting “more.” Bigger impact, bigger income, bigger platform — doesn’t that make us greedy?

Erik’s take: Aquila and Priscilla were tent-making business owners who funded Paul’s missionary journeys and discipled Apollos. Paul himself had a side hustle making tents.

Profit and purpose aren’t enemies.

If God’s given you a dream that could bless more people AND provide better for your family, that’s not selfish — that might be stewardship.

The key? Stay rooted in “It is finished.” Success in God’s Kingdom isn’t measured by followers or revenue — it’s measured by faithfulness and how many people are closer to Jesus because they know you.

Your Next Steps, Dad (Actually Do These)

Don’t just read this and close the tab. Take 10 minutes right now:

Tonight before bed — Open your Bible or phone app to John 19:30 and read Jesus’ words: “It is finished.” Pray: “Jesus, remind me tomorrow that I work FROM victory, not FOR it.”
Tomorrow morning — Set a 5-minute alarm before the kids wake up. Read one chapter of Scripture (start with Genesis 1-3 if you don’t know where). Tell Jesus what’s heavy. That’s it.
This week — Text two Christian brothers: “Can we grab coffee or hop on a 15-minute call? I need prayer about work.” (Yes, it feels awkward. Do it anyway.)
This weekend — Sit down with your wife and ask: “What dream do you think God might be stirring in me?” Write it down. No judging. Just listen.
Ongoing — Every Monday morning, write “Tetelestai” on a sticky note and put it on your dashboard or laptop. Let it be the first thing you see when the week starts.

You’re not stuck, brother. You’re being shaped.

Your work matters — not because it defines you, but because the One who finished everything has invited you to join Him in it.

Let’s go be the husbands, fathers, and men our families and this world desperately need.

You’ve got this — because He’s already finished it.

Ryan

P.S. Want to go deeper? Watch the full interview here: [Link to YouTube video] Check out Erik’s work at The Stone Table: https://www.thestonetable.org And if this spoke to you, forward it to one dad who needs it today.

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