It’s easy for our identity to get wrapped up in what we do…in our careers, our accomplishments, our “jobs.” After all, when we’re introduced to someone the first thing we’re asked after names are exchanged is:

“What do you do?”

I’m a doctor. I work at a call center. I’m a stay-at-home mom. I’m a teacher, a custodian, a small business owner, an HVAC installer, an engineer, a student.

Those are the answers that people are looking for when they ask that question, and the chances are good that there will be some amount of judgement—good or bad—based on your answer. In our society, what you do instantly puts you in a sort of category that will include assumptions about your education level, how much money you make, how you live, and how “valuable” you are. It’s unfortunate, but practically unavoidable: Our identities are often assumed, judged, and pigeon-holed by what we do.

But what does God see when He sees you?

God isn’t nearly as interested in what you do as He is in who you are. He sees far more than how you spend the working week, whether you wear a tie or an apron, and how many degrees you have hanging on your office wall. To God, your heart is what matters the most!

Who does God want you to be? He wants you to be holy:

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” ~1 Peter 1:15-16

If you’re trying to picture yourself with a halo and it’s not working very well, you can rest easy. To be holy simply means to be “set apart,” to live your life in a different way than the world—to belong to Christ before you belong to anyone or anything else. If your heart is set on what God wants rather than what the world wants, your actions and words will reflect that…and people will notice.

Ask God to help you understand what it means to be holy, to be “set apart” while still living in the world and doing the things you’re called to do. You don’t have to be working in ministry to make a difference in the world, and the way you conduct yourself in whatever you do can be a powerful testimony to your faith. God hasn’t asked all of us to live as ministers, pastors, non-profit workers or missionaries—but He does say:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” ~Colossians 3:17

And that’s so important that it’s restated later in the chapter:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” ~ Colossians 3:23

The good news is that wherever you are and whatever you do, you can make a difference by how you treat people and by the standards you stick to. Ask yourself a few hard questions: Does how I speak and act at work look different? Am I representing Christ in my words and deeds? Would others be able to tell that I’m a Christian by the way I act at work, or do I look the same as everyone else?

Who you are goes far beyond what you do during the 40 hour work-week. After all, there are 168 hours in a week—which leaves 128 hours, far more time in which who you are matters more than what you do! When you’re not at work, are you acting set-apart? Are you the same person at home as you are at the office, and do you speak to your family with the same respect you use with your co-workers?

God sees each of us as worthy of His love, important, valuable beyond measure. That’s true equally, no matter what career, vocation, or job you might have! And that’s true whether you accomplish great things in the world’s eyes or whether your efforts seem to go entirely unnoticed. God sees you, He cares about you, and your life is of great importance to Him no matter what you do!

Let’s let who we are be what people notice first…and let’s be people who follow God’s example and care more about who others are than what they do.