‘What motivates you to come to work every day?’ That was the question a colleague asked Adnan Khan during yet another long shift at Maplin.

Over a cup of coffee, Adnan is telling me about his first job. Working part-time to fund his history and politics degree, he would be the first to admit that selling electronics wasn’t his passion. ‘And yet’, he explains, ‘I knew that God had placed me at Maplin, and that I was there to work for his glory’. That was the answer he gave his colleague as well – an answer that led to a deeper discussion around faith. For Adnan, it was an answer to prayer.

As Adnan transitioned from working part-time alongside his degree to working full-time as a team leader after graduation, he was struck by just how much time his job took up. 40-hours a week gave him plenty of time to think about where God fitted into his life after graduation. It began, he says, with a simple question: ‘how can God use me in the work he has given me, even if I’m not particularly passionate about it?’

‘The time spent in community reflecting on how God has used, is using, and will use us in the workplace really shifted my perspective’.

Attending Changing Light in 2016 helped him begin to think this through even more. As we chat, it’s clear that the course made a big difference to how Adnan saw his work: ‘There was excellent teaching by people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences’, he explains. ‘The time spent in community reflecting on how God has used, is using, and will use us in the workplace really shifted my perspective’.

One particular piece of wisdom has stuck in his mind for nearly a year: God not only wants us to work and values work, but he calls us to a particular way of working.

That particular way of working is shown in his new role as Team and Events Administrator at LICC. As he prepares to host Changing Light 2017, we take a minute to discuss why he’s so excited about the upcoming event. ‘We’re the next generation – of teachers, doctors, social workers, bankers… it’s so important for us to think about how we can be used by God in all sectors.’

‘We’re the next generation – of teachers, doctors, social workers, bankers…’

What’s he most excited about for Changing Light this year? ‘Simple’, he says, ‘I know that those who come along will be encouraged, equipped, and fuelled for the adventure ahead that God has for them, wherever they are.’

As we finish our coffee, I ask Adnan for his one piece of advice to someone starting work. ‘Apart from coming to Changing Light, you mean?’ he grins. Joking aside, his response is just two words: Trust God. After a brief pause, he continues: ‘Trust God. Trust him with your work, trust him with your fears about work, trust him with the good things that happen, trust that he will accomplish his good purpose and will get glory from your work, that he is getting glory from your work. Sometimes we can feel that what we’re doing is too mundane or trivial to glorify God, but God is getting glory. Trust God in your working life.’

‘Sometimes we can feel that what we’re doing is too mundane or trivial to glorify God, but God is getting glory. Trust God in your working life.’

Re:Work is a day conference for young professionals hosted by LICC. Find out more and sign up here.