It's Not Working
By Dr. James Thrasher
As you reached for the alarm this morning what were your first thoughts? Did this endless work ritual conjure up depressing emotions causing you to bury your head in the pillow? Did you immediately ask yourself, what is the point of this meaningless and useless drudgery, other than bringing home a paycheck? Join millions of Americans if you said, “I can’t take it anymore.”
Welcome to the vocational calling disaster: it’s not working. And that’s not “working.”
It’s not working because all the research studies overwhelmingly show that most people dislike or hate their jobs. Yahoo! says that American workers hate their jobs so much that nearly half wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy. Something is terribly wrong.
That’s not “working” because we’re clueless on why we work. Work is not about us. Work has meaning and purpose because it matters to God, now and eternally. Colossians 3:23 says, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” We must look beyond ourselves and acknowledge that work is an opportunity to serve God and others.
So, what is the purpose of work and how does one find true meaning, satisfaction, and fulfillment through employment?
All of life is to honor Christ. This, then, is the proper starting point for realizing a true understanding of work. Embracing a biblical view of calling and vocation is the only thing that provides intrinsic motivation and truly enlivens the call to work.
Work is not a result of the fall, but a divine mandate to serve the Lord. God is a worker, and He created us in His image to faithfully serve Him and transform the culture through work. We are charged with the responsibility to utilize, to the fullest extent, Christ’s blessings to pursue excellence on His behalf.
Through Ephesians 2:10, the Lord has encapsulated in one verse with three parts, a very instructive summary of a biblical view of calling. The verse says, “For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
God designed you. You are His workmanship. He has uniquely and specifically crafted you. Scripture supports the notion that each person has been entrusted with distinctive aptitudes, personalities, talents, passions, interests, and transferable skills. The Lord of the universe has fashioned you, and you have great significance in His eyes. He calls you to be a steward of all your gifts and abilities, unto His glory. Self-assessment is incredibly foundational and profound. Know your differentiating design. You will never know your fit in the marketplace until you know who you are.
The verse continues by stating that you were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. The Pharisees asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment. Jesus responded: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the blueprint for vocational calling. We are to faithfully serve God and others through our work in any field or career. This work is meaningful, inherently good, and purposeful. Our calling is to glorify and honor the Lord in our work. If you pursue your design, with the greatest commandment in mind, you will find vocational meaning, satisfaction, and purpose.
God is sovereign, and He has, in advance, prepared good works for you to do. He works providentially in your life. Before He crafted you, He prepared the work that you were called to do. Ponder that for a moment—that is truly incredible. He has an exclusive plan, just for you, to serve Him and others in your current time and place. God cares enough about you that He ordains the minute details of your life.
Unsatisfied in your job and unsure about your calling? Be expectant, by finding out who God has made you to be. Seek to serve Christ and others as a steward of your gifts and abilities. And trust in the God who providentially and sovereignly created you for a purpose to do good works.
With this new perspective, purposeful work awaits you. Inspiring and soul-satisfying work is found here.
Dr. Jim Thrasher is the Senior Advisor to the Vice President for Student Recruitment and the coordinator of the Institute for Faith & Freedom's working group on calling.
