Think Work Stinks? Here's Why
How many people in America genuinely like their jobs? My wife posed that question to me a few nights ago after enduring a particularly nasty day of work, and I started wondering about it.
According to the most recent poll I could find, 55 percent of Americans in 2007 were "satisfied" with their jobs, which was the lowest percentage ever recorded. I'm guessing that number is even lower today because of the economy and the massive impact it has had on many careers. Plus, "satisfied with" and "genuinely liking" your job is not the same thing.
When you think about it, it's really tough to find something you truly love to do, do it successfully, make enough money from it to support your family and not get tired of it—all at the same time.
Many men become successful but find the stress at the top excruciating. Many men choose a field with more stable incomes but wonder if they should have taken a shot at their dreams. Many men can't stay in the same job for a long time because they get bored and frustrated with a routine. And we're talking about Americans here, who generally have the best job opportunities in the world.
On the other hand, there are few things more fulfilling than a job well done. There's nothing like the satisfaction of working hard at something and seeing the results. It's a feeling God has placed on the heart of every man.
So where is the rub? Why do we love it and hate it at the same time?
As usual, God's Word provides the answers. In Genesis, we find out that Adam was working the land in Eden well before the fall of mankind, when the world was still perfect. That holy desire to work and work well has been ingrained in us since the beginning. But after the fall, God made the process of work laborious, filled with pain and toil.
Right after Adam ate from the tree, God said to him: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life" (Gen. 3:17, NIV).
Work is one of those things that most guys will always love and hate, and, as Christians, Genesis 3:17 tells us why. What a wonderful thing to be able to look forward to in heaven—a world where we can work without the "painful toil."
Until then, we have to learn not to look to our careers for true fulfillment. Brad Stewart, in this issue's second article, talks about how God promises to meet our needs but that often we're focusing on our careers to fulfill not just our needs, but also our earthly desires and rewards. I know that can be true in my life.
Instead, we should focus on the eternal rewards God has given us and look to those for true fulfillment. He will take care of the rest.
posted by Editor at 7:48 AM
11 Comments:
I simply can't accept this as a rule of thumb, but I can't quite put my finger on the Bible passage that tells me why. I think it is because the verse in Genesis talks about toiling "for food", which seems to indicate that we must now work to live, and not just work out of love for the Lord. In one respect we are working to care for the land God has blessed us with, but now we must toil just to eat and have clothes on our back. However, it is obvious that God meant us to have some means of fulfillment through our work, or else we wouldn't have been doing it before the fall. So, the question still remains to me... why does work stink? It's not just because we're sinners, or just because we're trying to be fulfilled elsewhere. My relationship with God can be in great shape, but I can still hate my job with a passion.
Some of the most fulfilling and enjoyable work I have ever done we manual labor which was literally “by the sweat of my brow”.
I have read research (and I can’t put my finger on it now) that stated that fulfillment / job satisfaction comes from three areas: 1. Money, 2. Social Relationships, 3. A feeling of being a significant contributor.
I tend to believe this. I have found that number 3 is significantly lacking in our corporate workforce. We no longer have personnel offices; we have “human resources”. This change shows what we have done to people. Corporations view people as resources, something to be used, cast aside, and replaced. The average modern employee is lost within the corporate entity. His/her efforts are treated as trivial, and this translates directly into a devaluation of the human being.
The only cure or hope comes from seeing yourself as God sees you, and taking your value from that and that alone.
I do agree with the author. There is work that stinks. Now when Adam failed God and his duties in the garden, work became just that, work. One of the issues that came out in a philosophy course I teach was the issue of happiness and meaning of life C'est le sens de la vie). I believe man is looking for the fruit that will give him knowledge and in turn a life of ease. What happens is we work harder and longer and for what??? Another toy that is on a payment plan? When 9/11 happened there were a lot of men that looked at their lives and the work they were doing and for what? Many made some career changes. Am I doing this job to make as money as I can or am I enjoying this work as I provide what is needed to be happy in life, e.g., family. It is a tough nut.
I think the first Anonymous already answered his own question. Sure we were working before the fall, but it started to stink AFTER the fall...that is the curse. The Bible states that this is the case, and I believe it. I agree wholeheartedly with the editor.
And as to Anonymous number 2, we're not talking about a few hours of manual labor...we're talking about working every day. But the remedy for all of this is to see ourselves as Christ does, and to "work" inside of that love. It won't make the work cease to stink, but it will show us a glimpse of eternity.
I agree with much that has been said and i believe that God is at work within my work. But, where do we go from here? Do we just accept the status quo, accepting our current situation to be God's calling. Or, do we believe that we shouldn't hate our jobs as much as we do and try to do something about it? I have one of those love/hate feelings toward my work and i can't believe God would want me to continue to feel this way.
I believe men are hard-wired to look for meaning and significance through their work. Therefore, the greatest struggle I've found in my work is that it doesn't seem to provide a sense of satisfaction that you hope for and expect.
The greatest fulfillment that I've found in my work has not actually been the work itself, but the opportunities for ministry within the workplace. I have a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment when I see eternal value to what I do.*
Our ultimate sense of fulfillment however will never come from a job (even if we have a great one), but from an intimate walk with Jesus.
Pierre
*If you're interested in learning more about how to see ministry at work, read this article I wrote: http://www.christiangrowthnetwork.com/jumpstart.html
John van den Berg, a South African writer wrote many years ago that work should be love manifest. If you don't work with love, he wrote, you are leaving the mark of your disdain upon the work of your hands, and it is therefore without any beauty and without any durability.
Sadly, it is true that in the modern world many people take up a job because it provides an income. There are jobs that are characterized to a large extent by the fact that people are in that job because it is available. Prisons or so-called correctional services, for example, is one such employment opportunity.
I have hated my job with the best of them. It is a sad thing to go to work only to dread what awaits. I have always thought, "what could be accomplished if people were passionate about what they do?"
Could you imagine what we could do if people could pour their entire heart and strength as unto the Lord into their work? It would be amazing. I have long been a promoter of doing what you love. I have yet to find what I love and do it in a way that pays. The good news is that America is such a great nation you can get paid to do just about anything, including exist.
gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
You don't have to hate your job resist the temptation to quite or be board or be stressed. Cast the care of the work over on the Lord and he will take care of you! It can be great even if your boss is not when you trust in the Lord. :)
I have just completed a four-part series titled "Open Letter to the Kingdom Person" published in a newspaper column, KINGDOM Perspective. It can be accessed at the thegreatcompany.blogspot.com or at www.kpbooksnigeria.com/News and Updates. The problem is not with work; the problem is our suspect "sonship credentials." Did somebody say work is still a curse? And I ask did Christ take away the curse, or just some of them? The reason work stinks is most of us still see work as our source and so we pursue it with as much desperation as rats in a laboratory maze and with the same results. If only we'll appreciate that all that God has called us to do is serve in the Family Business aka the Kingdom and approach our assignments as such, it won't "stink." And we'll watch Him meet our needs.
Anyway
Do what you love, Love what you do. Trust Father in all things and you will not be disappointed!
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