In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and formed them to be inhabited. He did not create a waste place, but created in the span of 6 days our perfect home. Man was created male and female, capable of communing with God and with one another. The man and woman were given a mandate, to exercise dominion over the created world, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Work, home, partners; it was good for man to not be alone–but to have a companion to enjoy life, to work alongside, to procreate and train up the next generation. All to the glory of God. Work was good, pleasant, shared, and full of dignity. Work and home were not separate; compartmentalizing them happened after the fall. Work and marriage were not separate; compartmentalizing that too only happened as a result of the fall.
Ultimately then, a theology of work must begin here at the beginning of work. Too often we begin with our own understanding of the present and define terms and draw conclusions.
Sweat and Thorns, and Jealousy
Work is not part of the curse, but is impacted by the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Eve was, in her own words, deceived; Adam was rebellious; both deception and rebellion sometimes mark how we approach work and leisure and all the rest of life.
However, we ought not guard against deception and rebellion with a pendulum swing towards Pharisaism! That would be equally as fallacious. There have been in every generation those who think some forms of work are honorable, other forms not so; some work “spiritual” and other work completely out of God’s realm. As modern day pharisees we could think some work is “holy” and all other work profane. We would be wrong. Any work can be done to the glory of God unless inherently sinful (i.e. you cannot be a prostitute to the glory of God; or a hitman; or a money laundering businessman; or one who sells children into slavery…etc).
Motive for the job can play a role in whether our work is pleasing to the Lord. Did I pursue this to show off, to make myself look or feel important? Or to make others seem less important? Is this part of my “bragging rights?” Am I jealous of other’s success, and using that to fuel my job choices and pursuits?
Purpose
Man was created with purpose, but we are not to view this as some mystery to be solved. The book “Just Do Something” by Kevin Deyoung may help if you find yourself wondering; or the book “Decision Making in the Will of God” by Garry Friesen (although it has been more than 25 years since I read that one, and I cannot really remember whether it is Biblically faithful.) Whatever work we do, we can do it to the glory of God, for God rather than for the esteem of others (see Colossians).
Work is a means to carry out God’s original mandate to be fruitful, to tend the garden, to care for His creation and to extend the garden into the whole earth. Many find themselves in employment that destroys God’s creation–some Christians have a view of the earth as “passing away so who cares?!” Oh beloved, while we are here, we ought not destroy His creation, even though we know that this is not our ultimate home. It is where He has placed us now, and until He returns, will you be found faithful? Working at what He has given you to do, in a way that does not destroy His other works?
In our work, how we relate to co-workers or customers or any we interact with matters to the LORD as well. This is how some theologians have emphasized that we are salt and light in the world. We do our business well, in honesty and integrity, fighting off pride and greed and other sinful mindsets that prevail in worldly businesses.
Work is also a means of caring for our families, our local church family, and our own personal needs. Our focus is not merely on storing away money, but on earning so as to care for your household (or worse than an unbeliever? Deny the faith? Yes, faithful believers will care for the members of their household!). Paul instructed many to work quietly, prayerfully, respectfully, dutifully; a reminder needed in every generation.
Our work should leave us ready for good deeds (read through Titus looking for how often “good deeds” is mentioned). Far too often we approach our paycheck not as received from the Lord but as my due. What if you remembered that anything you have is received from the LORD? What if you then saw your work, and your earnings, as something He has a say in? Does God love a cheerful giver–yes; but does He chasten those who withhold and do not give? Yes. In an age when many think tithing outdated, I challenge you to consider the purpose behind it, reading Old and New Testaments, consulting trusted sources–discussing it here would make this post far too long. Back to being ready for good deeds–if you are in debt, because you view your whole paycheck as your due, and you spent it prematurely and have to pay off those credit cards…well of course you will reason that giving and helping others being ready for those good deeds is too costly, not really “God’s will for your life.”
No Utilitarianism, or Materialism
Do not approach the question of “what sort of work should I do” or “why work anyway” with a merely Utilitarian or Materialist answer. Do not reduce your work to a ‘portion’ of life, separated and disjointed from the rest of life. When I resigned from one job and took another, there were portions of this new position that others cautioned me to consider–those are not in line with my hopes and dreams and deepest desires, so would I be happy? Oh beloved, no ‘job’ can make you happy; blessed are those who ____fill in the blank only from Scripture!______ (see here!)
Why did I pursue my Bachelors? And my Masters? What were my hopes and dreams? Do I submit those to the LORD, or ruthlessly pursue them on my own, in a career? Have my deepest desires sometimes been fulfilled in gainful employment–yes; but most times in serving in my local church, in being a mama and a homeschooling one at that, and in seeing every moment as one to be lived with Him, for Him, through Him and to Him!
If Paul could influence all later generations while being a tentmaker to earn his money, so be it! We can live with that motivation too! Sometimes we have to work at a job that we think doesn’t matter, or doesn’t express the totality of my inner being–well, most actually, most jobs fall into this category. You are more than your job!
Priscilla and Aquilla…
If you have not yet read Priscilla, Where Are You? A Call to Joyful Theology by Natalie Brand, do yourself a favor and purchase it now! Really, a refreshing and thoughtful book. It is good to consider that this couple were together often–in homelife, work, travel, theological pursuits, and evangelism. They were fellow tent makers with Paul, and they both ministered alongside Paul, they both corrected Apollos in order to build him up into a robust theologian.
My own experience
When I was first married, we had the same job on a college campus that required us to live in on-campus housing. So we not only worked together at the same job, Resident Directors; we both had to work out of our shared apartment. We were warned that separation was necessary for a healthy marriage. We were doomed unless we spent at least 9 hours pursuing separate lives.
I am happy to report that we both look back on those years with joy and delight–those were good years. Those were only difficult years because of all the debt I had previously incurred for student loans, a vehicle loan, and several credit cards. And on top of having all that debt, we were paid less than minimum wage–which was considered godly by those encouraging us to do such work for His glory and not for wages. Yikes. A worker is worthy of his wages, it is not wrong to earn a fair wage. (In case you are wondering, we are raising up our own children to handle finances to God’s glory, to not approach the world from a stance of entitlement, and to be wise stewards. They will not have credit card debt or student loan debt or automobile debt; and no–we are not going to go into debt for them by borrowing against our home as Kamala Harris is instructing her audience to do).
Now that I am a stay-at-home and homeschooling mama, does my work matter? Is this even ‘work’? Yes indeed! If we define work more broadly than an income earning job, then we rightly see that a job is but one part of work. We work at all of life–this has been easily forgotten in this entitled generation.
Many will pay other people to mother their children, pay other people to raise them up, pay other people to clean their house, pay other people to serve them in various other ways, and then eat out so as to pay other people for that too. Then, among the middle classes, while this is harder to do, we follow suit, and attempt to live life by paying others to do our work, so that I can go to work, and then spend the majority of my paycheck paying those who meet my needs.
Sometimes I fret, when my work begins before sun-up; continues steadily through the day, and finally ends after nightfall. Until I remember the call to abide in His Words; and rest in Him, and delight in His works of Creation, Redemption, and especially of sustaining me, and making more like Christ. He gives meaning to every moment of our work–whether it is for a paycheck or just part of life. He delights in His faithful stewards who redeem every moment for Him, with Him.
Do not fret and then look for ways to get out of work. In the name of “self care” many are abandoning God’s desired rhythms for our lives. Slow down, pursue work that allows for wholistic flourishing and not just a greater paycheck.
For further Reflection:
1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (this world is passing away, your job choice is not the ultimate in your life); Ephesians 6:7; Colossians 3: 17, 23-24; 1 Thess. 4:11-12; 2 Thess. 3:10-12; 1 Timothy 5:8; James 1:5, 4:13-17.
I also highly recommend “Letters to a Young Farmer” by Gene Logsdon in which he makes the case for owning a bit of land and treating it as more than a yard by cultivating and growing and raising your own food, in the moments in between your 9-5 job. This world needs more people connected to their land, their homes, their families, their communities.