What is Currency?

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8, NIV).

When we talk about currency, most people think about money. We work in order to make money, which helps us pay for what we need in order to take care of ourselves and our families. While that is absolutely necessary, I want to challenge all of us today.

What if we re-examined how we define currency? Instead of only considering dollars and cents, we should begin to consider  the impact of culture, and the value of relationships.

If you look at the research, job trends have changed over the last 20+ years. If you have conversations with Baby Boomers, many of them had one to two jobs throughout the entirety of their working lives. Take my cousin, for example, who worked one job at a hospital as a x-ray tech for 44 years. It was the only job she ever had!

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by an employment blog, there have been recent numbers that indicate people will change jobs on average every 4.2 years(1). I've only been working in my professional career for just over 12 years, but I’ve only ever had one full-time job. If you do the math, the statistics show that I should be in my third job already. 

What causes people to job hop so often? Simply based on conversations I’ve had, and anecdotal evidence, I’d say the majority of the time it’s because of money. Currency. People leave one job to take another because they can make a higher salary. 

That brings me back to my original question–what if we re-examined how we define currency?

Since I began working with KORT  in 2012, there have been lots of changes. What was originally started by a small group of stakeholders, is now part of a larger corporation called Select Medical, which has over 54,000 employees nationwide!

The changing landscape of the workforce has people constantly looking for “a better opportunity.” I am constantly getting messages to my inbox on LinkedIn. Though there have been times in my career where I’ve considered making a change, I’m so thankful I stayed.

I recently sat with my manager, who has worked with our company for 23 years. We talked about this concept of currency. There are always going to be opportunities for more money, but when we make a jump for dollars and cents, we lose the value of currency in other ways.

When we look at currency from a Biblical perspective, we must begin with love. Though it isn’t explicitly stated that relationships are the currency of the Bible, we can see that truth in so many verses. One such example is Romans 13:8, which says, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

When we make love our primary currency, and express that love through relationships, I believe it has the capacity to change the way we approach everything in our lives, even our jobs. 

Matt. Rob. Stacy. Laura. Tricia. Matt. Tim. Mark. Leslie. These names are currency to me.

They are relationships I cherish, and have deepened because I stayed. They are people I could call or text if I needed a ride. They’ve been some of my biggest cheerleaders as I’ve embarked on this journey of ministry. They’re people who have, and will continue to, pray for me. 

Though I have probably missed out on making more dollars and cents, there is no amount of money that can replace the ways the Lord has added to my life through the currency of relationships, and love. For that, I will always be grateful.

Consider what drives you in the workplace, at home, with your family, with your kids, and in the community. Maybe take a few minutes today to re-define currency in your life. I think you’ll be surprised at what you might find.

1. Holland, Friedemann. “How Often Do People Change Jobs.” PeoplePath, February 6, 2024. https://peoplepath.com/blog/employment-trends-by-generation-how-often-do-people-change-jobs/.