Day 108: Made to Work

From the beginning of God's story, work has never been absent. He begins creating the heavens and the earth, working in His element, crafting everything we see around us. From mountains, to streams, to humanity, God worked hard and saw that it was good.

We were created, and then we were given work. Work was a blessing, a good thing that God gave to Adam and Eve so that they could enjoy Eden and everything it had to offer.

But, we know what happens next. In the midst of beautiful creation, and the blessing that is work, the fall of humanity reaches its apex when punishment is given for the sin of Adam and Eve. The ground is cursed, but so often what people take from this is that work is cursed.

Work is not cursed.

Work is a blessing.

Go back to Genesis and read it for yourself.

God worked in creation from the beginning, and he passed that blessing on to us.

Now, work can be a broad spectrum of things. Many of us seem to work at jobs that we don't care for (something I'm all too familiar with), and many of us work for things that aren't necessarily good. We, as followers of Christ, are called to do good works. Sometimes we miss the point because of grace.

Some people think grace is all you need, while others think works are all you need.

Truth is, you need both.

In Ephesians 2:8, Paul discusses how grace is a gift from God, and it is the key to our salvation. There's nothing that we can do to earn God's salvation, but there is something we can do to show evidence of it: we can work for the good.

We are created to do good works in Christ Jesus.

We are created to contribute to human flourishing.

And, of course, there is also the difference between vocation and occupation.

Usually, our jobs, or the work we do every day to make ends meet is our occupation. It's not necessarily what you want to do (much like my previous job), but it pays the bills.

On the flip side, there is vocation, which is your “calling” by God. It's work that “fits” you, glorifies God, and helps others.

For some of you, these may be completely different.

For some of you, these may be the same.

For me, a job teaching would be both my vocation, and occupation..which is a blessing that the Lord has given me. But, even now, in my current position, I need to remember that my occupation, and vocation, should both glorify God.

What many people do is separate the sacred from the secular. Many people think that their job is a part of their secular lifestyle, and that they are only spiritual or sacred when they are in church.

What we need to understand is that EVERYTHING MATTERS TO GOD.

There is no such thing as the secular/sacred divide!

God wants all of you in your occupation, and vocation, in your miserable job, or your extremely fulfilling job.

No matter where you are, or how you feel about work, remember that it is a blessing from God and that you can find ways to worship Him through what you do.

And, if you can't, then it may be time to reevaluate exactly what you do...

In Christ,

Lilia