Some of you know that I recently started driving a shuttle for FastPark, an off-site parking facility near the Indianapolis airport. I haven’t kept it a secret, but I haven’t exactly shouted it from the rooftops either. Before the rumors start—yes, I’m still fully employed at Eagle Church and have no plans to leave anytime soon. And yes, the Harris family is doing just fine; this isn’t about the money.

The story has more to do with things like taxes, social security, Medicare, and long-term planning—but that’s not really the reason I’m writing this. For years, I’ve said that driving an airport shuttle would be my dream retirement gig. So, once a week, you might spot me behind the wheel of one of those green shuttles, heading off the lot with a handful of passengers bound for Zone 3.

What I didn’t anticipate was how this little side job would open doors for me to live out the gospel in the same way many of you do every single week. For nearly 38 years, my work has been within the “church bubble,” surrounded mostly by other believers in a pretty pro-Christian environment. I’ve often preached about claiming your workplace as your mission field—looking for ways to represent Christ among your coworkers. I’ve had some chances to do that over the years when my kids were involved in sports, but lately, my life has been almost entirely inside the bubble.

The other morning, as I was praying, God directed my attention to John 17. Many believe this is what Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night He was betrayed. In that prayer, Jesus talks about how He has prepared His followers for their mission—to take His message to the world—and how He has set them apart for that purpose. Then He says,

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it… As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

We often repeat the phrase, “We are in the world but not of it.” Two kingdoms operate side by side: the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of Heaven—the kingdom of light. As believers, we are sent into the darkness, not to blend in, but to shine. Every day, we live according to the values of another kingdom—one built on light and truth—with confidence that God will answer Jesus’ prayer to protect us from the evil one. That doesn’t mean we’re safe from harm, persecution, or even death, but it does mean we are secure in our relationship with God and our eternal destiny with Him.

So wherever you find yourself this week—at work, at school, or running errands—remember that God has placed you in your corner of the world to reflect the light of heaven. I’m thankful for M, I, K, T, J, and others whose worlds I get to step into every Monday night.

As you go about your day, live with the confidence that Jesus has prayed for you—to be in the world, but not of it; protected, but sent; ordinary in setting, yet extraordinary in purpose. May your everyday moments become sacred opportunities for the world to see that Jesus was sent by God and that He loves them deeply.