I recently saw a video that a young woman posted online about the horrors of having a job. Restraining tears, she ranted about the inhuman treatment that people expected her to endure because she had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to a workplace that was cold and had fluorescent lighting, and not only that; she had to spend eight whole hours of her day in that tortuous environment. Furthermore, she was expected to do this FIVE times a week! “Oh, the humanity!”
We might laugh at the absurdity of this video; but what if this is not an uncommon way of thinking for young people? Has the latest generation gotten so weak and lazy that they can’t imagine even a 40-hour work week in an office? My generation is scratching its head. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that my generation had it so hard. We missed the Great Depression and World War that our parents endured. But we do know how to work!
In July of 1945, (which was before my time, by the way) a military aircraft hit the Empire State Building in New York City. A very foggy Saturday morning is blamed for the accident. The plane hit the building around the 79th floor. Upon impact, the plane’s fuel exploded and several parts of the aircraft, including the engines, were strewn through the building and into nearby structures. Fourteen people were killed.
I read an account of that event written by one of workers who was in the building that morning on a lower floor. Since it was a Saturday, there were fewer people than normal in the building, but there were still quite a few people working. She recounted her fright and the confusion surrounding the event. While down on the sidewalk after being evacuated, she saw her boss who had come to check out the situation. She assured him that his staff was accounted for and safe, and he reminded her that they would have to make up their lost hours.
That seems rather harsh to me, but it wasn’t out of the ordinary at that time. Can you image that in this day and time? I can hear it now… “A SIX-day work week? Are you kidding me?” Or “Make up my time? That’s inhuman! You’ll be hearing from my attorney!” My, how much attitudes have changed over the years!
Now, I think the balance lies somewhere between the two examples. It seems unreasonable to require someone to make up their time lost due to an airplane hitting their place of employment. But ranting on the internet about being expected to work 40 hours a week – seriously?? All of this got me thinking – why do we work?
If I did a survey, probably most people’s answer to the question would be, “To make money”. We all understand that. Our society is based on a monetary system. For the most part, we no longer barter, nor are we independently self-sufficient. So, we need to work to make money in order to function in society. However, this system has a major flaw – GREED.
Money itself is not inherently bad, but the Bible is clear that the love of money is. Whenever money is involved, the temptation to love it is there and people can become greedy. Of course, there is nothing wrong with working hard and earning a good living. I have the utmost respect for those who do that when their heart is in the right place. But working solely to amass great wealth is loving money and the Bible calls that “the root of all evil”. And doesn’t that seem so prevalent in our society today? Think about this also. Isn’t expecting to be rich without doing any work also a form of loving money? Both attitudes are completely selfish.
If gaining money were the ONLY reason to work, then money would be the principal thing and God wouldn’t admonish us not to love it. But the Bible does warn us not to fall into that trap. God’s Word encourages us that whatever work we do, we should do it heartily as unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23) So that tells me that the Lord must be the principal thing – NOT money.
And indeed, the Lord is the principal thing in our lives. When we look to God as our sufficiency, He takes care of our needs. He provides the increase. When we recognize Him in all that we do, He will open the windows of heaven and pour blessings upon us. (Malachi 3:10) If we put our trust in money, we will never have enough.
Work is more than just our employment. Yes, we have jobs to provide the money we need to function in society, but our jobs are merely a means to an end. We certainly can have profitable careers, God wants us to prosper and be successful, but our reason to work is so much greater than that.
God designed us to work. Even Adam and Eve worked in the Garden of Eden. Working keeps our bodies strong and our minds sharp. Accomplishing a goal takes work. Taking care of yourself and your surroundings takes work. Raising a family takes work (and a lot of it). Even loving someone takes work. And a job well done is a very satisfying and fulfilling experience that cannot be attained without work.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The context of this verse talks about things we need in life, like food, drink and clothing. And this verse declares that God will supply all those things when we seek Him first. So, can we seek God first in our jobs? Absolutely! Can we keep Him first in our careers? For sure. We can seek God first in anything that we do. And bear in mind that seeking is also work. It is actively pursuing something, which takes effort and focus. Seeking God should be our priority.
When we keep God first in our lives, all the facets of life fall into their proper order. That includes our jobs, and every other kind of work we need to do. Need to do yardwork? Do it heartily as unto the Lord. What about school? Housework? Relationships? Do them all heartily as unto the Lord and God will bless your efforts.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
So why do we work? Because our labor is not in vain in the Lord. The most profitable work we can do is the work of the Lord. That means that if we put forth the effort to seek God first in all that we do, He will provide whatever we need to be able to do whatever needs done. And we can be wildly successful in everything we do (including our jobs/careers) because our God is that big and He loves us that much.
Note to my readers: This is my 100th post. Can you believe it?? Thanks for reading.