Can a business 101 course change someone’s life?
It certainly had an impact on Gillian Foster, senior at Colorado Christian University and editor of the Nil Sine Numine blog. Foster recently recounted her high school missions trip to the Philippines. During that time, she said,
There were meaningful moments of meeting immediate needs and opportunities for personal connection. I do not doubt that both spiritual and physical good came from our last-minute efforts. However, the experience led me to ask the question, “What is helping people?”
In order to make a difference—to change the world—she believed, she needed to become a missionary, social worker, or some other kind of Christian leader who dedicated her life to the ministry.
But then, she took an elective business course in college in which she learned “no one job is holier than another.” So-called “secular” work was just as glorifying to God and impactful to society as a job in ministry.
Foster said,
In such conditions where access to a steady income is not easily within reach, we believe free enterprise can lead the way in developing infrastructure and supporting the economic growth needed to improve living standards. And in situations, like the United States, where many people spend most of their time working, we believe businesses and non-profits can learn from each other to combine best practices with heart to impact people right where they are: at work.
What does helping people look like in your work?
