Work

When I talk with people during this pandemic, one topic that has come up as often as the COVID-19 virus is work. People have had hours cut or been laid off. Small business owners have had to shut down. Larger businesses or corporations have gone through painful lay offs. Many people wonder what work will look like once we come out of this.

When life is normal, it’s pretty easy to complain about our jobs or work. There’s always something that could be better or done differently. There’s that person who is more difficult to deal with. There’s the hassle of paperwork or taxes or reports. Yet, without work, we can feel pretty lost and purposeless.
I also think we can conclude that the goal of work is to earn enough so we don’t have to work anymore. We somehow think that life free from work is the ultimate existence. There is great value in rest, renewal and a break from work.

But God ordained for humans to work BEFORE the fall. Genesis 2:15 – “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK It and KEEP it.” There is dignity in work. It brings purpose to our lives. Our occupation occupies our time in a healthy way. Through work we create, help, serve, give and provide for others. These are all attributes of God.

The other reality we must remember is that you don’t have to have a job to work. Moms tending to little ones at home have a more than full-time job. Seniors who spend hours in prayer in their condo are doing the work of the Lord. Anyone who cooks a meal provides sustenance to keep others going. Engaging in home and car maintenance provides an environment for a family to thrive along with the satisfaction of KEEPING a house.

Certainly, work can bring frustration. That’s part of the living in a fallen world. After the Fall of humans, God said this to Adam: “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ in PAIN you shall eat of it all the days of your life (Genesis 3:17). But we look forward to a time when work will be completely free from this curse. When eternity comes, we will engage in frustration free work throughout the earth.

Until then, let us live by Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” When life moves towards our new normal, let’s thank the Lord for our work.