What are We Working For?...Continued
Last time we asked this question the discussion migrated to bad work situations. Today we'll continue to let Scripture help us find some answers to "What are we working for?". As opposed to the distress at work we discussed last time, we find this in Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) Chapter 30:
"The joyfulness of the heart, is the life of a man, and a never failing treasure of holiness: and the joy of a man is length of life. Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God, and contain thyself: gather up thy heart in this holiness: and drive away sadness far from thee. For sadness hath killed many, and there is no profit in it."
Would that going to work each day were an unadulterated joy! Perhaps some of you have the sort of job that provides ongoing joy. My own experience: That's a rarity - not only in my own case, but for other people I know as well. Oh, sure, some have had stretches where everything's coming up roses; but these are typically offset by weeds that, if left unattended, will choke the joy out of a day's work.
And yet, joy can be in our grasp, even if the job doesn't bring it to us all neatly wrapped as a pretty bouquet of roses. We can derive joy from particular tasks we perform. In my own work, I get a shot of joy when I carefully and tediously analyze data that's presented to me and discover key points of a client's situation that will greatly improve their lives. I don't always look forward to the tedious process itself. But the result can be real positive jolt. It's not a common occurrence every day; but it comes often enough to offset the sometimes boring stretches of rote work, as well as the occasionally weedy intervals that spring up unannounced and unwanted.
Another source of joy can be in our striving to work for the greater glory of God. "The greater glory of God" aren't idle words. It took me some years (too long!) to understand this. I would state my intention to work for God's greater glory, then jump into my work. The words, grand as I pronounced them, remained stillborn as I tackled the actual work of the day. Over time, however, with prayer and continuing meditation on this powerful intention, the words came to life. While my stated intention springs from that same good will that produced them in the past, now, rather than lie stillborn, there's a palpable effect that inhabits most of the work I do. I can "see" in some manner that intention being applied - on a good day - to even the most trivial tasks I have to complete. It's a real blessing. There's really nothing I did to create this change. I just kept praying for the grace to always work for the greater glory of God. God did the rest.
In truth, this hasn't been all that dramatic a change. It slowly - very slowly - evolved over many years. But at some point, the reality of it just seemed to spring up. Where once there were weeds, now stand a beautiful bed of roses.
Of course, joy has it's opponents in both our emotions and in our spiritual life:
"Envy and anger shorten a man's days, and pensiveness will bring old age before the time.
One of the most terrible vices, envy causes us to see others' success with resentment and bitterness. I can't say I've envied the success of others. Rather, I've sometimes wished I'd been able to enjoy the same success, especially when things weren't going well. I have, though, watched people who envy others. It can be an ugly vision. Please God you never fall into the black hole of envy.
If and when anger sticks its nose under your tent, you'd be wise to address it forthwith. Even if you're not one to snap into an angry fit of temper, you could be the type to harbor a kind of simmering anger. But whether you snap or simmer, persistent anger can eat you alive.
We're all made of the same cloth, but we're put together in a unique fashion by our Creator. Some of us are more prone to anger than others. If you're one of those whose temper flares occasionally, or perhaps more than occasionally, you've got to recognize the problem and address it. Of course, recognizing that your anger is in fact a problem may be your first challenge. But assuming you're honest with yourself, don't ignore a propensity to anger. As Scripture teaches us, it can shorten your days.
"Pensiveness" has different meanings. Here it would seem to mean brooding. Full-blown anger may not be your weakness, but you may be one who broods over slights and offenses that come from others. None of us likes to be treated poorly; but it happens. Are you going to let it fester inside you? You'll never have peace of mind and soul if you do. Forgiveness always trumps brooding.
Of course, bad things can happen to us that aren't the result of a human agent. It can be an illness, an injury that disables, even if only temporarily. Someone you love can suddenly become sick and die. This list can easily grow exponentially if we want to build it further. But instead of that, let's just get to the point: Don't brood over misfortune, whether relatively innocuous or of the most terrible and evil sort. Remember, skipping along a primrose path where all is well and we feel good all the time doesn't fit with our understanding of the message of the Cross.
With all that in mind, perhaps cultivating that joyful spirit that really is ours for the asking can serve to offset any of those tendencies we may have to envy, anger or simply brooding. For some encouragement, here's how the passage from Ecclesiasticus continues:
"A cheerful and good heart is always feasting: for his banquets are prepared with diligence."
Next week we commence our annual series on planning for our business and personal life. But maybe we'll pick up again on this theme at some point in the future.
For now, I'd say a feast is in order!
"The joyfulness of the heart, is the life of a man, and a never failing treasure of holiness: and the joy of a man is length of life. Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God, and contain thyself: gather up thy heart in this holiness: and drive away sadness far from thee. For sadness hath killed many, and there is no profit in it."
Would that going to work each day were an unadulterated joy! Perhaps some of you have the sort of job that provides ongoing joy. My own experience: That's a rarity - not only in my own case, but for other people I know as well. Oh, sure, some have had stretches where everything's coming up roses; but these are typically offset by weeds that, if left unattended, will choke the joy out of a day's work.
And yet, joy can be in our grasp, even if the job doesn't bring it to us all neatly wrapped as a pretty bouquet of roses. We can derive joy from particular tasks we perform. In my own work, I get a shot of joy when I carefully and tediously analyze data that's presented to me and discover key points of a client's situation that will greatly improve their lives. I don't always look forward to the tedious process itself. But the result can be real positive jolt. It's not a common occurrence every day; but it comes often enough to offset the sometimes boring stretches of rote work, as well as the occasionally weedy intervals that spring up unannounced and unwanted.
Another source of joy can be in our striving to work for the greater glory of God. "The greater glory of God" aren't idle words. It took me some years (too long!) to understand this. I would state my intention to work for God's greater glory, then jump into my work. The words, grand as I pronounced them, remained stillborn as I tackled the actual work of the day. Over time, however, with prayer and continuing meditation on this powerful intention, the words came to life. While my stated intention springs from that same good will that produced them in the past, now, rather than lie stillborn, there's a palpable effect that inhabits most of the work I do. I can "see" in some manner that intention being applied - on a good day - to even the most trivial tasks I have to complete. It's a real blessing. There's really nothing I did to create this change. I just kept praying for the grace to always work for the greater glory of God. God did the rest.
In truth, this hasn't been all that dramatic a change. It slowly - very slowly - evolved over many years. But at some point, the reality of it just seemed to spring up. Where once there were weeds, now stand a beautiful bed of roses.
Of course, joy has it's opponents in both our emotions and in our spiritual life:
"Envy and anger shorten a man's days, and pensiveness will bring old age before the time.
One of the most terrible vices, envy causes us to see others' success with resentment and bitterness. I can't say I've envied the success of others. Rather, I've sometimes wished I'd been able to enjoy the same success, especially when things weren't going well. I have, though, watched people who envy others. It can be an ugly vision. Please God you never fall into the black hole of envy.
If and when anger sticks its nose under your tent, you'd be wise to address it forthwith. Even if you're not one to snap into an angry fit of temper, you could be the type to harbor a kind of simmering anger. But whether you snap or simmer, persistent anger can eat you alive.
We're all made of the same cloth, but we're put together in a unique fashion by our Creator. Some of us are more prone to anger than others. If you're one of those whose temper flares occasionally, or perhaps more than occasionally, you've got to recognize the problem and address it. Of course, recognizing that your anger is in fact a problem may be your first challenge. But assuming you're honest with yourself, don't ignore a propensity to anger. As Scripture teaches us, it can shorten your days.
"Pensiveness" has different meanings. Here it would seem to mean brooding. Full-blown anger may not be your weakness, but you may be one who broods over slights and offenses that come from others. None of us likes to be treated poorly; but it happens. Are you going to let it fester inside you? You'll never have peace of mind and soul if you do. Forgiveness always trumps brooding.
Of course, bad things can happen to us that aren't the result of a human agent. It can be an illness, an injury that disables, even if only temporarily. Someone you love can suddenly become sick and die. This list can easily grow exponentially if we want to build it further. But instead of that, let's just get to the point: Don't brood over misfortune, whether relatively innocuous or of the most terrible and evil sort. Remember, skipping along a primrose path where all is well and we feel good all the time doesn't fit with our understanding of the message of the Cross.
With all that in mind, perhaps cultivating that joyful spirit that really is ours for the asking can serve to offset any of those tendencies we may have to envy, anger or simply brooding. For some encouragement, here's how the passage from Ecclesiasticus continues:
"A cheerful and good heart is always feasting: for his banquets are prepared with diligence."
Next week we commence our annual series on planning for our business and personal life. But maybe we'll pick up again on this theme at some point in the future.
For now, I'd say a feast is in order!
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