by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor
“Do not work for food that
spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of
approval” (John 6:27).
Since I've been old enough to babysit, I've always been working at
something, whether a project for school, a part-time restaurant gig, or
my current office job. And over the years I’ve come to learn many
lessons about work. For example, work can become a joy and a passion if
it’s something you truly love and you’re surrounded by like-minded
partners. Or, on the other hand, even a job you like can become a drudge
if you can’t see eye-to-eye with your co-workers.
As I prepare to celebrate a day off work this upcoming Labor Day, I've been pondering three things that God has been teaching me about work in the past year or so.
1. A Christian never clocks out
It's easy and refreshing to hop in the elevator at 5 p.m. and not worry
about work until the next day. But as a follower of Christ, I recognize
that I’m called to carry his banner 24/7. When I’m grumpy? Yep. When
I’ve been out all day and come home to a messy house? Absolutely. When
I'm on Facebook and somehow everything in my feed is making me
frustrated and irritable? Even then. Perhaps that's why we call
ourselves "soliders" in God's army. Everything's a battle… one we must
remember to fight with love and peace!
2. God is the boss, not me
As easy as it is to judge another person's work (or seeming
lack-therof) I've had to be reminded a lot lately that it's simply not
my job to critique other people's lives. Just as my supervisor has given
me tasks to complete, and that's between the two of us – so God has a
personal relationship with every single one of us, and he hasn't asked
us to poke our noses into each other’s to-do lists. And boy, don’t we
all have plenty of thoughts on the matter?
Why do they go to THAT church?
Why is that woman constantly panhandling on that same streetcorner? Why
doesn't he just get a spine and break off that harmful relationship?
If only I ruled the world. But I don't – and thank God I don't. Someday
we’ll all stand before The Boss and our choices will be evaluated. But
for now, it’s my job to do MY job, to love people where they’re at, and
to remember that life sometimes looks really different inside someone
else's shoes.
3. Your work does make a difference
It’s common for me to feel small and powerless. Maybe you feel that way
too. But when small people like us put our minds to something, amazing
things truly do happen. Even something as small as a smile or a word of
encouragement can make all the difference in someone’s day…maybe even in
someone’s life. So whether you teach, write, or clean up trash; whether
you sit in a cube crunching numbers or you bag groceries – God wants to
use your work to not only bless others, but grow you closer to him.
Intersecting Faith and Life: Try reading a few passages about work in the Bible (I've
linked to some below). What kind of worker does God want you to be?
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