On Wages, Rewards, and Loving Your Work
Everyday, if we're diligent, we earn our wages; sometimes we're even well compensated for a job well done. That reward may be a raise, a promotion, both, or some recognition that makes us feel good or elevates our status in the eyes of others. I think many, if not most of us can live with work that pays us well and rewards us in special ways from time to time.
Then there's work you love to do. Early on, I either read, or someone told me, "Do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." On rare occasions I've met people who do work at what they love. In my own case, early on, I put in a fair amount of effort into making what I love become my daily work. It didn't work out. Maybe I could've tried harder or longer. But circumstances - marriage, having children - eventually steered me away from what I loved to do towards a focus on wages and rewards.
Every once in a while I recall the feelings I had about that work I really loved to do. For a brief shining moment or moments, I experienced what that saying really means: "Do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." If only I had been able to get paid enough to do it! But at least I did get to experience this. Not many people I know can say this. For that I've always been grateful. No regrets.
Whatever your experience has been with your work - whether you really love it or not - we all share in common the need to earn our wages. And some of us get that occasional reward that can serve as a motivator to greater accomplishment, success, or simply keeps us going. And when you think about it, it's better than the alternative: not having a job, not earning enough, or just scraping by. Been there, done that. So if I can't work at what I love to do, I'll take decent wages and occasional rewards any day.
But while we can get by in this world with a decent job, even one we don't love, the same isn't true of our spiritual life. We can't just "get by" when it comes to our relationship with God, the whole point of our spiritual life.
St. John of the Cross, one of our greatest spiritual writers, sets things straight for us here:
“It is of the highest importance that the soul should be well exercised in love, so that, being rapidly consumed, she will tarry but a short time here below and quickly attain to the vision of God face to face. The smallest act of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God, and more profitable to the Church, than all other works put together. Without love all our works, all our labors, are as nothing before God, for He holds acceptable only our love. Wherefore the soul which is aglow with this perfect love is named the Spouse of the Son of God, and appears to us raised to a footing of equality with Him, because of their mutual affection renders all common between them. Enkindled by this love, the soul desires neither wages nor reward. Its will is to lose all and sacrifice itself without desiring to gain naught for itself, so that it may please Jesus. Happy the soul that loves! The Lord becomes, as it were, its prisoner, and holds himself ready to fulfill all its desires. Love is repaid only by love.” (St. John of the Cross)
Notice that love isn't an option here. Without love, all our efforts in our spiritual life are in vain. We can study Scripture, read good spiritual works, become well-versed in the doctrines of our Holy Faith, even do our best not to sin. But without love, we're holding back. While we may not just be going through the motions, we're perhaps focused on earning a reward: Heaven. But that's not the way it works. Love comes first and foremost. As St. John put it, "Enkindled by this love, the soul desire neither wages nor reward."
We don't need to love our work to fulfill the obligations of our state of life. But we do need to love without limit, no holds barred, when it comes to fulfilling the goal of our spiritual life - growing closer to God.
Then there's work you love to do. Early on, I either read, or someone told me, "Do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." On rare occasions I've met people who do work at what they love. In my own case, early on, I put in a fair amount of effort into making what I love become my daily work. It didn't work out. Maybe I could've tried harder or longer. But circumstances - marriage, having children - eventually steered me away from what I loved to do towards a focus on wages and rewards.
Every once in a while I recall the feelings I had about that work I really loved to do. For a brief shining moment or moments, I experienced what that saying really means: "Do what you love to do and you'll never work a day in your life." If only I had been able to get paid enough to do it! But at least I did get to experience this. Not many people I know can say this. For that I've always been grateful. No regrets.
Whatever your experience has been with your work - whether you really love it or not - we all share in common the need to earn our wages. And some of us get that occasional reward that can serve as a motivator to greater accomplishment, success, or simply keeps us going. And when you think about it, it's better than the alternative: not having a job, not earning enough, or just scraping by. Been there, done that. So if I can't work at what I love to do, I'll take decent wages and occasional rewards any day.
But while we can get by in this world with a decent job, even one we don't love, the same isn't true of our spiritual life. We can't just "get by" when it comes to our relationship with God, the whole point of our spiritual life.
St. John of the Cross, one of our greatest spiritual writers, sets things straight for us here:
“It is of the highest importance that the soul should be well exercised in love, so that, being rapidly consumed, she will tarry but a short time here below and quickly attain to the vision of God face to face. The smallest act of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God, and more profitable to the Church, than all other works put together. Without love all our works, all our labors, are as nothing before God, for He holds acceptable only our love. Wherefore the soul which is aglow with this perfect love is named the Spouse of the Son of God, and appears to us raised to a footing of equality with Him, because of their mutual affection renders all common between them. Enkindled by this love, the soul desires neither wages nor reward. Its will is to lose all and sacrifice itself without desiring to gain naught for itself, so that it may please Jesus. Happy the soul that loves! The Lord becomes, as it were, its prisoner, and holds himself ready to fulfill all its desires. Love is repaid only by love.” (St. John of the Cross)
Notice that love isn't an option here. Without love, all our efforts in our spiritual life are in vain. We can study Scripture, read good spiritual works, become well-versed in the doctrines of our Holy Faith, even do our best not to sin. But without love, we're holding back. While we may not just be going through the motions, we're perhaps focused on earning a reward: Heaven. But that's not the way it works. Love comes first and foremost. As St. John put it, "Enkindled by this love, the soul desire neither wages nor reward."
We don't need to love our work to fulfill the obligations of our state of life. But we do need to love without limit, no holds barred, when it comes to fulfilling the goal of our spiritual life - growing closer to God.
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