There’s a line from the Coldplay song Viva La Vida that has always struck me: “[I] sweep the streets I used to own.” It captures a certain sting—the reality that time, careers, and titles don’t last forever.
At some point in life, every man leaves the workforce – or at least materially reduces his contribution to the role he’s held. The nameplate comes off the office door. The tools are passed on to someone younger. The meetings go on without us. And when that day comes, it can feel like we’ve lost a piece of ourselves.
Even before retirement, many of us feel the tug of this truth. Maybe you didn’t get the promotion. Maybe the business you poured yourself into isn’t thriving the way you hoped. Maybe you’re realizing that no matter how much you achieve, it never seems to fully satisfy.
It’s because our identity was never meant to be anchored in what we do. Our job, our career, our title—they’re temporary. But who we are in Christ? That’s eternal.
Jesus never introduces us by our work. He doesn’t say, “Well, here’s Peter the fisherman” or “Paul the tentmaker.” He calls us sons of God (1 John 3:1), a chosen people, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Our worth is not in our paycheck or our performance but in the One who gave His life for us.
And here’s the good news: the earlier we learn this, the freer and more at peace we become—not only when we step away from our career, but right now in the thick of it. When our identity is rooted in Jesus, work is no longer a place where we prove ourselves. It becomes a place where we serve, reflect God’s love, and steward the gifts He’s given us.
So whether you’re decades away from retirement or feeling it right around the corner, remember this: You are somebody—not because of your title, your role, or your accomplishments, but because you belong to Christ.
As Paul reminds us in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
That’s an identity that can never be taken away.
Questions
- Have you ever felt like your job title or role defined you more than anything else?
- What happens to our sense of peace when our identity is tied too tightly to our work?
- How might your day-to-day work look different if you were operating out of your identity in Christ first?
- For those who have retired or shifted careers, what has God taught you about where your true identity lies?
- What’s one way you can remind yourself this week that your worth is found in Jesus, not your work?
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