We all have to work. That's a good thing. Mark has outlined over the past weeks the reality that we were created to work - it was one of the creation mandates - and it actually is one aspect of what it means to be created in God's image. We are small "c" creators, bestowed with the capability and the honor to create good in our world, wherever that may be.
Now, I realize that if you're dipping fries into grease at Runza or if you're dialing numbers at a Gallup call center, your work might not feel quite as "weighty" as I just described. Maybe it's not. This is where Mark's discussion this weekend of Joseph is so instructive - the wonder of Joseph's life is that whether he was in dire circumstances or at the pinnacle of the world's most powerful nation, he was submitted to God.
In an earlier post I mentioned Brother Lawrence as an example of someone who took a menial task and, by a proper focus of his intention, made it a place where God's presence could be experienced and enjoyed. I'm betting Joseph had to exert the same effort - it's easy to have a sense of God's presence in a worship service, it takes a little concentration and willful focus of the mind to come to terms with the reality of His presence in less than favorable conditions - but this is just what David spoke of when he said, "If I ascend to Heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there" (Psalm 139:8).
Whether you like or loathe your job doesn't change the fact that your place of work provides you with a vital opportunity to grow in your faith while there. In fact, one of the greatest blocks to one's spiritual growth is not taking advantage of the normal occurrences of life, of looking at day-to-day events as merely neutral...as if our spiritual life ended when we finished our toast and closed our Bible at the end of our morning quiet time.
A classic look at the different factors in growth is called "The Golden Triangle of Spiritual Formation." There's nothing too fancy about it - it simply diagrams what Christians throughout the ages have experienced: that growth occurs by the Holy Spirit (top of the triangle) and He uses Spiritual Disciplines (Bible reading, prayer, service, etc.) and life's Ordinary Events to cause us to grow. If we overlook either of these items that form the base of the triangle, our growth will not be as hearty as it could be.
Are you approaching work this way? As an opportunity to meet and experience God and to have Him teach you how to be loving, kind, patient, etc. in the midst of a circumstance that you are not in love with? Remember that Joseph was wrongfully imprisoned for two years but this didn't stop him from experiencing the presence of God or Moses (the writer of Genesis) from writing, "But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison" (Genesis 39:21).
LBC 20-somethings - comment on the new Decade on Purpose Blog about our generation: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=701655799163&ref=mf
Posted by: Jenna | 03/17/2010 at 02:55 PM