When Work Distracts You from What's Really Important
Last time we asked the question: "Does work distract you from what's really important." It's a serious, critical matter when our work occupies our minds, hearts and bodies to the exclusion of God. So serious, we said our very souls were at stake. Were those comments too dire? If ever you're tempted to think that they might be, just pick up your Bible. Go to Isaiah, let's say, oh, chapter 24 for example, which I just happen to be reading now.
Chapter 24 will demonstrate that those comments were not too dire. Isaiah begins with this, a comment about what the Lord will do to those who have turned their backs on Him:
Oh, he's talking about the government that passes unjust laws that permit abortion, or the "culture" that wallows in the filth of fornication, adultery, pornography, or the "society" that ignores the natural law and allows powerful interests to manipulate the law to their advantage at the expense of others. Yes, "they" have turned their backs on God, and so God punishes "them."
Read on, friend:
Certainly much needs to be done to reform a government, a culture and a society that permits, even encourages, sin. But it all starts with us, each of us. We need to reform.
When we let work distract us from what's really important, when our work so dominates our waking hours that we can barely squeeze in a moment of a thought outside of Sunday Mass for God, we join those whom Isaiah is addressing here: ingrates who, despite the generosity, mercy, patience and love that flows from God will not give Him the pride of place He deserves at the very center of our lives, in all that we think and do - and that includes our work.
Most of us spend the majority of our "prime time" at work. We expend most of our energy on the work we do. Even if we do so out of necessity, simply to earn a decent living, does this excuse us from making time for God? Does it excuse us from at least saying grace before meals, prayers in the morning and at night, never mind making time for a few minutes of meditation - being alone in our thoughts with Him - reading spiritual works, studying the truths of our Holy Faith, examining our conscience?
Once I read the Old Testament and its endless tales of Israel sinning by turning away from God, Israel punished by God, Israel turning back to God as something that happened way back "then." But as I read and studied over time, it slowly (and I'm definitely slow on the uptake here!) dawned on me that this isn't a story about "them": It's about us! And here, in the context of our discussion about work being a distraction from what's really important, it's about just that: us letting work turn us away from God.
So much becomes clear in your life - so much of the difficulty and pain and sorrow - when you begin to grasp this. And so much will change when we understand that - even in the midst of a busy work day, occupied with pressing matters that take up all our time and attention - God can, indeed must be at the very center of our lives, always. We simply can't let work distract us from that.
Not sure about how important this is to us - and to God Himself? Read the rest of Chapter 24 and let me know what you think then.
Chapter 24 will demonstrate that those comments were not too dire. Isaiah begins with this, a comment about what the Lord will do to those who have turned their backs on Him:
Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter abroad the inhabitants thereof.Oh, he's certainly talking about those Hebrews whom he led out of Egypt to the Promised Land - those ingrates who turned from the Lord to false gods, who continually sinned and repented, sinned and repented, and - despite all that God did for them, despite His continual demonstrations of mercy - insisted on turning away from God every time things were going well for them. Really? Is that who Isaiah is talking about? He couldn't possibly be talking about us here, could he?
Oh, he's talking about the government that passes unjust laws that permit abortion, or the "culture" that wallows in the filth of fornication, adultery, pornography, or the "society" that ignores the natural law and allows powerful interests to manipulate the law to their advantage at the expense of others. Yes, "they" have turned their backs on God, and so God punishes "them."
Read on, friend:
And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress: as with the buyer, so with the seller: as with the lender, so with the borrower: as with him that calleth for his money, so with him that oweth.There's nothing here about government, culture or society. No, the finger points at people and priests, servants and masters, handmaids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers. These are the individuals that make up the government, the culture, the society. They are us.
Certainly much needs to be done to reform a government, a culture and a society that permits, even encourages, sin. But it all starts with us, each of us. We need to reform.
When we let work distract us from what's really important, when our work so dominates our waking hours that we can barely squeeze in a moment of a thought outside of Sunday Mass for God, we join those whom Isaiah is addressing here: ingrates who, despite the generosity, mercy, patience and love that flows from God will not give Him the pride of place He deserves at the very center of our lives, in all that we think and do - and that includes our work.
Most of us spend the majority of our "prime time" at work. We expend most of our energy on the work we do. Even if we do so out of necessity, simply to earn a decent living, does this excuse us from making time for God? Does it excuse us from at least saying grace before meals, prayers in the morning and at night, never mind making time for a few minutes of meditation - being alone in our thoughts with Him - reading spiritual works, studying the truths of our Holy Faith, examining our conscience?
Once I read the Old Testament and its endless tales of Israel sinning by turning away from God, Israel punished by God, Israel turning back to God as something that happened way back "then." But as I read and studied over time, it slowly (and I'm definitely slow on the uptake here!) dawned on me that this isn't a story about "them": It's about us! And here, in the context of our discussion about work being a distraction from what's really important, it's about just that: us letting work turn us away from God.
So much becomes clear in your life - so much of the difficulty and pain and sorrow - when you begin to grasp this. And so much will change when we understand that - even in the midst of a busy work day, occupied with pressing matters that take up all our time and attention - God can, indeed must be at the very center of our lives, always. We simply can't let work distract us from that.
Not sure about how important this is to us - and to God Himself? Read the rest of Chapter 24 and let me know what you think then.
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