Work

INFORMATION ABOUT WORK

Tim Clinton and George Ohlschlager

(2 Thessalonians 3:10–15)

“What do you do?”

   Many people have been asked that question thousands of times. The question is presaged by the question in childhood, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

         We are socialized early on in life to the importance of work. And so it should be. Much more than just a means to a livelihood, work is a source of identity, a well of friendships and associations, and a way in which people derive meaning and satisfaction in life. When things aren’t going well on the job, it makes for some long days and discouraged people.

Some Christians believe that work is also a form of worship, a sacred extension of the ongoing creative process by which God still functions. The Bible reveals that work, despite its being a product of the Fall, has been made a source of human dignity.         Because of disobedience to God, man was cursed to eke out an existence from the earth, struggling to live by the sweat of his brow until death (Gen. 3:17–19). Yet God has redeemed work, and looks upon people at work with dignity and protection, calling for justice and honesty in all employer-worker relations. God calls upon humankind to work honestly, heartily, happily, and as though we are working for the Lord (Ex. 23:12; Eccl. 5:19; Col. 3:23).        The church at Thessalonica had developed a serious problem. Some had become so convinced of Christ’s imminent return that they gave up working and began to wait for the Second Coming. This created some serious problems as the wait extended from days to weeks to months. Paul encouraged these believers to follow his example of hard work and commanded the church not to feed those who refused to work (2 Thess. 3:10–15). Honest work and understanding that one must work to provide for the necessities of living have been central values in the church for nearly two thousand years.        The fact that there are so many dissatisfied workers today may also mean that the value of work has been distorted. Think of how many people you know who are unhappy in their work, unfulfilled and bored to tears by the 9 to 5 routine. Maybe work has lost the moral and biblical anchors that balance its importance in the larger scheme of things. Maybe worker dissatisfaction simply means that too many people have chosen their life’s work poorly, for the wrong reasons, or with the wrong fit of interests, skills, personality, and gifts. Whatever the reason, work dissatisfaction, job stress, and interpersonal conflict in work organizations are a big reason why many people and work organizations seek professional help, including counseling.        Our work life must be maintained as a proper priority in relation to God, marriage and family life, and commitments to church and community. When this balance is not held, work can easily become an idol, a false god that serves as a terrible taskmaster. “Workaholism” has become an all-consuming obsession for too many modern workers, a sleep-depriving, health-robbing, greed-festering monster that may be the most rewarded—and least challenged—addiction in America.         Like all addicts, workaholics must be able to admit their obsessive drivenness and confess its many costs. They must be able to build and maintain times of rest, play, family, and leisure. Work addicts need to realize that the deeper life with Christ comes only after one is able to be still and know God.

Career counselors and experts say that the accelerating pace of technological change combined with the high mobility and trainability of the modern workforce will lead workers in the current generation to change jobs and/or careers nine times over the course of their lifetimes.         Career counseling generally seeks to facilitate four primary objectives in helping people find and fit into a good job or career: ã   increasing self-awareness of values and work interests,ã   becoming familiar with the world of work,ã   teaching assessment and decision-making skills,ã   teaching skills to enhance employability.         Work without a purpose, without a vision for how we are advancing the cause of God’s kingdom, can easily become meaningless. Disciplined work is recognizing that excellence can be achieved by tackling tasks every day with wisdom, commitment, and earnest effort. Diligent workers are pursuing and achieving excellence—they have caught a vision of how their work fits into the larger purposes of God. These high-level workers seek to be directed by the Holy Spirit, and their effort and excellence reflect the fruits of this vision motivation.        The following values and goals are important when considering work and career issues: 1.  Pursue your choice of life’s work as a calling from God, believing that He will guide and prepare you to accomplish a good work in your life.2.  Increase understanding of your interests, personality, style, gifts, and talents, seeking to explore and test how these things fit into a variety of different jobs.3.  Increase your skill and usability of “universal” job skills—analytical thinking and evaluating skills, command of positive communicating, writing, and speaking skills, interpersonal relationship skills, and problem-solving skills.4.  Determine how to attain the skills and credentials you need for your particular work pursuits in the most time/cost effective way.5.  Be willing to engage in ongoing education for increased knowledge and skills enhancement in your field.6.  Whatever you do, do it with praise and thanksgiving, spread the credit around to your colleagues and coworkers, and give glory to God for its achievement.

Other passages to study about the issue of work include: ã   Genesis 2:2, 15ã   Exodus 20:8–11ã   Proverbs 28:19ã   1 Timothy 5:8  To learn more see: The Soul Care Bible: Experiencing and Sharing Hope God’s WayThis article is Copyright © 2001 by the American Association of Christian Counselors