Should a Christian Husband Take a Job With a Lot of Travel?

When considering taking a job, the first factor that usually grabs our attention is the pay. Good paying jobs are hard to come by and provide a security and standard of living that is hard to pass up.

But, there are hidden costs in every job. The commute can be rough, the hours can be long, and the stress can be high. Some jobs also require a lot of travel. Anyone who has travelled much knows that flying is fraught with frustrations. Flights are delayed and cancelled, inclement weather jams up all the connecting flights, and living on the road can be quite a beating on the body.

It is increasingly common for couples to even live between two cities. Air travel now makes it possible to work in one city during the week and spend time with family in another city on the weekend. In some ways, this kind of lifestyle is kind of like being single on weekdays and married on weekends.

My wife Grace and I sympathize. We have been married twenty-five years and have five children. My job has had me travel quite a bit, and in the early years of our marriage, I was on the road a lot speaking to make ends meet as we agreed that Grace would stay home with the kids and I would be the sole income provider for a large family in an expensive city. This travel time apart took a toll on our friendship, and what we gained financially we felt like we paid for emotionally and relationally.

It is hard to provide for the full menu of needs that our family has. These include financial, but extend to spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and relational.

Can you relate? Are you struggling with similar variables?

During a sermon series I was preaching at our church called Parenting on Point, people sent in questions for my wife and I to answer together impromptu after the sermon. One of the questions was, “Should a Christian husband take a job with a lot of travel?”.

Since the Bible was written long before airplanes were invented, this question is not answered directly in the Word of God. But, there are parts of the Bible that help frame a healthy discussion for a couple principally. We hope that this video helps couples struggling with similar questions and decisions to have a hopeful, helpful, and healthy discussion that leads to a mutually agreed upon decision.

Lastly, if you have a question I might be able to answer in a future Ask Pastor Mark video clip, send it in to [email protected]. Most likely, you are not the only person with your question, and it might be used of God to help others wondering the same thing.