From
Romans 12:1-11
Romans 12:1-11
H,
Tedium
sets in easily over the simpler tasks. It is easy to get into that mind frame
that considers work as ‘beneath’ and ‘above’. The work we think we are better
than is beneath us and the work we consider suitable to our talents is above par
and serves some higher purpose. I have found myself living that lie recently.
sets in easily over the simpler tasks. It is easy to get into that mind frame
that considers work as ‘beneath’ and ‘above’. The work we think we are better
than is beneath us and the work we consider suitable to our talents is above par
and serves some higher purpose. I have found myself living that lie recently.
The truth
is all work is above. There is something more than a work-life balance in Christianity.
We are told to do all work toward God. We are told He is the employer above. We
are told to ask for grace to do it well and with honour. We are told to do it
with the right heart or not to do it at all. There is no tedium in beneath work when all work is seen as part of seeking
things above everything else. The balance in God is always wholehearted
commitment to Him. The overt showing of that is seen in the way we live our
daily lives. Love is a verb because life is a verb also. It is not lived in
definitions but in actual living. The life of the mind is a glorious thing but
it is only the subtext for an actual life of the life. We are told to guard our
hearts because what we store up in there will manifest in how we live.
is all work is above. There is something more than a work-life balance in Christianity.
We are told to do all work toward God. We are told He is the employer above. We
are told to ask for grace to do it well and with honour. We are told to do it
with the right heart or not to do it at all. There is no tedium in beneath work when all work is seen as part of seeking
things above everything else. The balance in God is always wholehearted
commitment to Him. The overt showing of that is seen in the way we live our
daily lives. Love is a verb because life is a verb also. It is not lived in
definitions but in actual living. The life of the mind is a glorious thing but
it is only the subtext for an actual life of the life. We are told to guard our
hearts because what we store up in there will manifest in how we live.
Speaking
of “storing things up”, one of the reasons work for so many is a burdensome
load is that it is all done for money. This is not what God recommends. This is
not what He commands when you begin to follow Him. It is not that we cannot
find joy in the most seemingly menial task if we find joy in God first. It is
that if our whole work-life trajectory is based on the ‘toys’ we must have and
the occupation is for that end only. We are not in a faith that looks for a
place to fit in. We are of that kingdom that seeks to put the real light out
into the world. The gospel is a cross we bear. Our decisions will cost us
something but that thing is so superficial when we compare it with things
eternal. Of course, right now it does not feel that way. Fear and fear of
failure rule the roost. It is time we re-assess what we do, everything we do,
in the light of the path we took, so narrow and scenic, when we said yes to be molded
into eternal forms.
of “storing things up”, one of the reasons work for so many is a burdensome
load is that it is all done for money. This is not what God recommends. This is
not what He commands when you begin to follow Him. It is not that we cannot
find joy in the most seemingly menial task if we find joy in God first. It is
that if our whole work-life trajectory is based on the ‘toys’ we must have and
the occupation is for that end only. We are not in a faith that looks for a
place to fit in. We are of that kingdom that seeks to put the real light out
into the world. The gospel is a cross we bear. Our decisions will cost us
something but that thing is so superficial when we compare it with things
eternal. Of course, right now it does not feel that way. Fear and fear of
failure rule the roost. It is time we re-assess what we do, everything we do,
in the light of the path we took, so narrow and scenic, when we said yes to be molded
into eternal forms.
In the
end, when we go about our daily tasks, most of our life will be spent doing
some work or the other, we must look up at the one who really runs things. There
is only above work with that thought in your heart. We approach it as worship
and it becomes joy. There is only the certainty of a material cul de sac if we
look at it any other way.
end, when we go about our daily tasks, most of our life will be spent doing
some work or the other, we must look up at the one who really runs things. There
is only above work with that thought in your heart. We approach it as worship
and it becomes joy. There is only the certainty of a material cul de sac if we
look at it any other way.