Putting Your Work in its Proper Place
So many of us define ourselves in some way by what we do. When we meet someone for the first time, one of the first things we ask them or they ask us is "What do you do?" or some variation of the question.
Why is that so important to know? I'm not sure. Maybe it's because most of us spend so much of our time at work each day, that that's how we think of ourselves - as what we do at work, or maybe even "who we are" at work. Yes, maybe who we are matters to a lot of us, especially if we're "somebody" - you know, a boss or executive, something like that.
Then, of course, there's how much money we make. It's really rude to ask someone what they make, of course, but I know a lot of folks who really do want to know this. And it's not just that we're all more greedy or money-hungry these days. When I was a kid growing up in an apartment building, our downstairs neighbor just had to know what my Dad made. Which was strange since my Dad was a working man, a blue collar guy, and never made a lot of money. I'm not sure what the neighbor did, but he and his wife never had kids and their apartment was - for those days - kind of fancy, the few glimpses I got of it, especially compared to our simple abode. And yet I remember from time to time my Dad chuckling over how Mr. G had tried yet again to trick or squeeze out some word - anything - that would let him know how much my Dad made. Strange.
Anyway, our work probably holds far too important a place in the way many of us see ourselves. And given that we're now in those two weeks before Labor Day where everything slows down a bit for many of us, it's a good time to step back and think a bit about things that we don't have the time or patience for when we're super-busy all the time - like what place work holds in our lives.
So here's a simple way to see your work: you do it for he greater glory of God. At least that's how I try to see my work. It gets "me" out of the picture and puts the focus on God. It helps me to see myself more for what I really am, rather then as a vice president of this company, or the owner of a small business, or a salesman for that company (just some things I've done in my own life).
As for what I really am, well, that can get kind of involved and deep, and we're not going to get into that at length right now, except maybe to quote Abbot Vital Lehodey talking about us, and how God, despite the reality of our littleness, watches over us constantly:
Why is that so important to know? I'm not sure. Maybe it's because most of us spend so much of our time at work each day, that that's how we think of ourselves - as what we do at work, or maybe even "who we are" at work. Yes, maybe who we are matters to a lot of us, especially if we're "somebody" - you know, a boss or executive, something like that.
Then, of course, there's how much money we make. It's really rude to ask someone what they make, of course, but I know a lot of folks who really do want to know this. And it's not just that we're all more greedy or money-hungry these days. When I was a kid growing up in an apartment building, our downstairs neighbor just had to know what my Dad made. Which was strange since my Dad was a working man, a blue collar guy, and never made a lot of money. I'm not sure what the neighbor did, but he and his wife never had kids and their apartment was - for those days - kind of fancy, the few glimpses I got of it, especially compared to our simple abode. And yet I remember from time to time my Dad chuckling over how Mr. G had tried yet again to trick or squeeze out some word - anything - that would let him know how much my Dad made. Strange.
Anyway, our work probably holds far too important a place in the way many of us see ourselves. And given that we're now in those two weeks before Labor Day where everything slows down a bit for many of us, it's a good time to step back and think a bit about things that we don't have the time or patience for when we're super-busy all the time - like what place work holds in our lives.
So here's a simple way to see your work: you do it for he greater glory of God. At least that's how I try to see my work. It gets "me" out of the picture and puts the focus on God. It helps me to see myself more for what I really am, rather then as a vice president of this company, or the owner of a small business, or a salesman for that company (just some things I've done in my own life).
As for what I really am, well, that can get kind of involved and deep, and we're not going to get into that at length right now, except maybe to quote Abbot Vital Lehodey talking about us, and how God, despite the reality of our littleness, watches over us constantly:
“...I, an insignificant atom in the great world, occupy day and night, always and everywhere, the mind and heart of my Father in Heaven. Oh, how infinitely touching is this truth of our holy faith, how touching and how consoling!”Now there's something to think about during these two weeks of respite from the usual business of the work week, something simple but profound to wrap my brain around and maybe not only gain some serious understanding of who I am, but also of the proper place of work in my life as well as the overwhelming reality of having a loving, caring Father in Heaven. When I do that, it hits me how little time and attention I give Him, of course, but that's OK. Maybe that will spur me to give Him the place in my life that He deserves.
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