Tip of My Iceberg

photo courtesy of Museums Victoria on Unsplash

We each have different attitudes toward work.

Some of us love our jobs; we look forward to becoming engaged with those we work with, sensing the significance of what we do.

Others don’t have that passion. Whether it’s an hourly job, settling for something for the time being till a better prospect comes along, these positions don’t inspire loyalty to the workplace.

Still others can’t find a job, even though they’re willing to work at what’s available. That shows a heart seeking what it needs.

Years ago I asked my dad if he loved his job. He was a sales manager for an appliance company, and those who worked for him enjoyed him and his leadership style. He was surprised by the question.

His answer resembled this: “Working is what we’re supposed to do. I work to support my family and be a responsible member of our community. Work gives us options, but it also gives me dignity as a man, a husband, and a father.”

Yes, my folks were part of the great generation who were children during the Depression and knew that work was a necessary value.

How have we moved so far from that perspective?

Labor Day is the celebration of the working force that has made America what it is. With our focus on our entitlement to leisure, it’s easy to forget that just over a hundred years ago, men, women, and often children were working seven days a week, often up to twelve hours a day. People worked on farms, in factories, or mines, often in challenging work environments doing physically demanding jobs.

The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on September 5, 1882 with a parade and picnic organized by the Central Labor Union of New York. On June 28,1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday of September a national holiday. It became an opportunity to exhibit the strength of local labor unions.

We were created with the heart to work. Doing nothing, having no occupation to give our lives meaning, steals the joy of a full life.

“God took the man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.” Genesis 2:15

Work wasn’t a curse; it was part of the wholesome life that Adam and Eve had in what then was a perfect world. They were fully known, seen, loved, and valued. Work was satisfying.

When sin entered the world, work was immediately affected. Because they disobeyed God, work would become tiresome and difficult. “…the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.” Genesis 3:17b

Brokenness is everywhere in our lives. Our best intentions, no matter what the circumstances, will fall short. We yearn for perfection because we have the light of perfection that God has put in our hearts.

We can’t attain it on our own. But Jesus has redeemed us and all we do. Even our work. He has given us the hope and newness of life as His love for us impacts the way we think and act. We can change because He changes us.

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve Jesus Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

Work can be trying if the people you work for don’t value who you are and what you do. But if we do whatever job we have for and in the power of Jesus, it makes all the difference in the world.

Labor becomes less about toil for small rewards and more about effortless use of our talents for a bigger picture.

Happy Labor Day. May you view work through a new and improved lens.