The Meaning of Work

On Monday we observe Labor Day in the U.S. Meaningful work has always been a part of God’s plan for us. In Genesis 1 we read that God spoke to the man and woman, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Later, in Genesis 2 we read, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). As Jamie Smith writes in You Are What You Love, “God places us in creation with an invitation to unpack and unfurl all of the latent potential that God has folded into creation – and commissions us to do just that.”

Often, however, Christians fail to connect their day-to-day work with their faith. As we observe Labor Day this year, I’d like to encourage all of us to reflect on the work that we have been given to do – whether in medicine, law, education, government, business, raising children, or even in the church, and ask what it might look like to offer our work to God. This doesn’t simply mean looking for ways to talk to coworkers about Jesus (although being open to that is a good idea!), but rather seeing the work that you do each day as part of offering yourself, in Paul’s words, as “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). How does the work that you do contribute to the common good, and how does your work implicitly or explicitly bring glory to God?

As we think about this important topic, it is important to make a couple of observations: first, our call to work doesn’t end when we “retire.” The type of work, the pace of work, and the means of work might change, but the call to engagement in meaningful work does not change. So, if you are “retired,” you may have unique freedom to work in ways that are much more flexible and creative, but you are not absolved of meaningful work. Second, when our physical bodies begin to fail, it is tempting to feel that we no longer have anything meaningful to contribute, and are thus in some sense “useless.” Please understand that our value as people depends in no way on our “utility,” and we can make a contribution to God’s kingdom and to the world simply by praying or, through our endurance of suffering, by bearing witness to the hope we have in Christ. Finally, let us always remember to pray for those who have no meaningful work, that opportunities would emerge and, to the extent that any of us are able, look for ways to create those opportunities.

As we observe Labor Day, let us heed Paul’s words to the Colossians: And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

Peace,

Chris

Artwork: “Work” by Ford Madox Brown, c. 1865, oil on canvas, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, England