Holy work
By Charles Christian
About 30 years ago, the founder of Eckerd Drugs, along with a prominent Christian author, wrote a book entitled, “Your Work Matters to God.”
Many would think this book was only meant for pastors or nonprofit leaders. However, the book was for an all-inclusive audience: accountants, salespeople, farmers, plumbers, etc.
The book emphasizes the idea of work — regardless of one’s job or profession — as something important. In the book, work is viewed as a gift from God, as a means of using gifts God has given to us and as a way of serving God and others. All work — not just work that involves church life or direct service to those in need — matters to God.
The book was quite successful, especially in religious circles. This was not just because of the prominence of the book’s authors, but also because of the need for people to hear that what they do actually matters. The Bibles say:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human overseers, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Of course we have human bosses, and of course the quality of our work and our profession can have an effect on our pay. Also, we know that “making a living” is important for us and for our families. However, there is more to work than this. According to the Bible (and the Colossians passage is just one of many passages that say something like this), we can approach our work as a sacred calling instead of “just a job.” The good news of this approach is that there is no job too small to be considered an act of worship and an aspect of ministry for us.
When you and I are working, regardless of the vocation, we can find ways to be loving, caring and committed people of faith in ways that benefit not only ourselves and our employers, but also those with whom we come in contact. Beyond this, we can even work in such a way that the consistency of our work and our approach to work becomes a kind of worship directed toward the ways of God.
Whether our bosses and employees approach us in a way we deem fair or good begins to matter less and less, if we reenvision our ultimate loyalty at work as loyalty to God and God’s ways. Practically speaking, this approach will likely motivate us to do our very best at work, which will undoubtedly garner us recognition for a job well done. However, even if it doesn’t right away, this approach can give us fulfillment by reminding us that all the work we do is an act of service to God first, and then to others. Our approach to work, then, becomes an extension of the faith we are seeking to live out every day.
