“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:23)

This verse has stuck with me through the years. Whenever I read it, I imagine God in heaven evaluating what my life has amounted to. With this picture in mind, I constantly weigh my ministries, relationships and career prospects by their eternal value – fruit that will last (John 15:16).

I can’t waste my life.

So I keep asking: “What will this add to the Kingdom?”

Because I’m terrified I’ll wake up one day at 50, and realise I’ve wasted decades. I don’t want to be stuck in any job just going through the motions, making little to no difference for God’s Kingdom. That’s heartbreaking to me.

For those of us in the marketplace, I am by no means comparing how Job X is more “Christian” than Job Y. I know there are differences to be made for the Kingdom wherever and whoever we are.

I just know that my heart is prone to wander towards that which is profitable in the world, and a routine which is comfortable. I’m tempted by many such jobs in the marketplace.

Very rarely, I get a particular, special feeling in my heart. It’s a feeling which surfaces at moments I know I’m exactly right where I should be.

The first time I felt this way was when I went on a mission trip to the Philippines in 2014. It was a humid night after numerous rehearsals, and a group of us were walking back to our home for the night.

We shuffled in single file down a narrow inner street, bathed in orange light.

The whole time, we were carrying heavy things like ladders and props, getting ready for the performance the next day. In truth, none of it was really fun – it was hard work. Yet in that moment, I experienced a tangible peace in my being which said:

You are right where you should be.

These words settled in my heart, stilling it with a peace I had never experienced before; it was strange and beautiful all at once.

I knew that I could have been in Singapore – or anywhere – doing anything else. Yet here I was in this strange and foreign place, far from Singapore, carrying ladders – and I was Home.

Another time I felt this peace was earlier this year, while serving in my church’s performance arts ministry.

I was in charge of the props team for the Good Friday production. The work was tedious and certainly not glamorous.

On the day of the performance, I was moving the props around as a stagehand. Then it was time for the altar call at the end of the show. I wanted to pray for those who responded.

I sat in the darkness offstage, hunched over by the curtains as the stage lights peeked through. I could see the faces of the many young people who had come to the altar. As I reached out my hands to pray for them, I was just hit by this wave.

I can’t put my finger on it. It was just a mixture of emotion, and raw power. In that moment, I knew in my spirit that something good was happening to all the lost and hungry souls standing an arm’s length from the curtain.

The many nights and months of preparation and sacrifice revealed their worth in that moment – as if a curtain had fallen before my eyes. I saw the eternal value. And again the peace spoke:

You are right where you should be.

I’ve encountered this peace whenever I was making a real difference to the Kingdom of God.

I experienced this joy when every day, every hour I spent, counted for the Kingdom. It’s certainly easy to feel that way when you’re in a place and period as intentional as a mission trip.

But what if I told you it’s possible to feel this deep sense of purpose every day? In truth, we should be feeling it every day! It’s not about the exotic locale or starting a holy-moly job.

“You’re right where you should be” is a place of heart.

When we have a heart that says in complete obedience, “Lord, I’m all in”, I think something profound happens in us. There comes such deep peace, joy and excitement when we chase God. 

When we truly, truly trust Him.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26.3)

Do we trust God? Do we trust in His plan for us against the worries of this world? Imagine a life where every moment is lived in light of eternity. Imagine if our every step followed in His destiny for us.

What profound bliss awaits the faithful heart which trusts and obeys.