Work-Life Balance: Life as a Digital Nomad and Missionary

I’ve been working two jobs at a time since I was hired at the first company I worked for. I was a workhorse, taking up tasks I didn’t initially know how to do with high hopes that I’d develop a new skill that I could use for my next job hunting. I was a weekend warrior, too. I endured the daily struggles of going to the office, despite the heavy traffic, flood, storm, earthquake, and sometimes, a high fever.

Weekend vacations were a must at that time, not just for fun, but most importantly, just to recover my mental health. The idea of spending Saturdays at the beach helped me get through manic Mondays and Wednesday slumps. I liked my work. I was learning and earning. But there’s just something missing in that cycle of work and play.

In 2018, I decided to take a break from office work and looked for a gig I could do at home. I felt the dreadful feeling of burnout manifesting in many areas of my life that I felt the need to slow down. I found a home-based job, and by the grace of God, something a lot more precious – missionary work and religious community.

Just before the CoVid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Pure Heart Philippines blessed with back-to-back missions. For two weeks, I had to juggle giving talks during missions and working afterward. I felt like I was working double shifts. I was exhausted. But surprisingly, I was happy and I can somehow find the energy to do the whole mission-work routine again the next day. I enjoyed life as a digital nomad and missionary

My Takeaways as a Digital Nomad and Missionary

Work is important. But it isn’t everything in life. Looking back at that two-week mission-work routine, I can say that these are the most important things I’ve learned:

• Life is really just 24 hours a day. Take away the 7 hours for sleeping, and we’re left with just 17 hours to do all we need to do. Work matters. But as we go through our days and fight our fights, it’s also good to pray as Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
• Life is short. I could die anytime. Thinking of death might be morbid, but it also helps shed some clarity in my life. Some people might find it materially practical to do mission work after achieving financial freedom. But for me, it’s more spiritually practical to try to juggle work and mission daily or even just weekly, monthly, or more frequently than just setting aside service to the Lord until retirement. Who knows I’ll die early and I’d never have the time to enjoy life on the mission field.
  Work could be a great mission field. Had I realized this way earlier in my career, I could have enjoyed a more meaningful life at work.
• Work is God’s gift to humankind. Through it, we grow in holiness and virtues, especially as we encounter others.
• My identity doesn’t depend on my salary. So, whether I’m overpaid or underpaid, it’s really not about me. Some industries just pay more and some pay less. Yes, it’s good to endure poverty. But many people are struggling financially, and I think being in a position to give is as Spirit-filled as being in the position to receive.

In the end, earning money is just one aspect of the beauty of work. As St. Paul said in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people. You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.”