What is work?

What is work?

If this were one of those click-baity newsletters I’d probably add an erroneous subtitle like: THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU!!1!1!

But that’s lame, so, instead, I’m just going to tell you.

A Working Definition of Work

For starters, work is way more than something you do for money.

Work is how we contribute to the world God made. That certainly includes conventional jobs like data analysis or healthcare, but also parenting, volunteering, or studying.

I’m a pastor. That must mean my work is more spiritual than everyone else’s, right?

Nah.

God created work (Genesis 2v15) so, all good work bears His imprint. This means all good work is dignified, so your job developing software can be just as spiritual as my job pastoring in a church.

Whether in the office, on the construction site, or at home with crazy little ones, you can serve God through your work there.

This leads me to one of the most important facts about work… its role as a spiritual discipline.

Work as Spiritual Discipline

We spend the majority of our lives working.

The average person spends more time per week at work than they do reading the Bible, at church, or praying. Great harm comes when we view these activities as “spiritual” but work as something in between.

Let’s instead ask the question: What if work is just as spiritual as your Sunday service? Or the time you spend praying or reading the Bible?

What if we viewed work as another form of worship?

Imagine how that would change things... Worshipping God by making the kids breakfast or doing that next delivery or going to your weekly meeting.

It’s an echo of Paul’s words in Colossians 3v23-24:

No matter which way you look at it, our work is one of the primary settings for our spiritual formation.

Brother Lawrence realized this and, in doing so, was put in touch with something many people tragically go their whole lives without.

The true meaning of work.

Come back tomorrow as we unfold that.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter