As I had a coffee run on Monday, I was greeted by an enthusiastic barista who had been at church the day before. She was so excited to be at work with the understanding she had gained on Sunday as we looked through Genesis at God’s high view of work.
She told me that she couldn’t wait to print out the definition of work we used and post it in their workroom. That definition is definitely a challenge. Let me share it again. According to Dorothy Sayer, “Work is the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others.”
That definition reframes work for us. To put it plainly, work is God’s idea. It’s a good thing. We were given clear instructions from God to work as if we are working with Him as our boss. This definition also softens some of the hard edges of work. In my Community Group this week, one person reworked that definition to be: Work is gracious creative service.
We work out of a strong sense of gratitude for the grace God has shown us. Work is more than an obligation, it is an expression of my understanding of grace. We also do it creatively. As we said on Sunday, we were created for work. Therefore, as “sub-creators” we get to take existing elements and create something that didn’t exist before. Work is also about service. Imagine if all of us filtered our work by asking, “What can I do at work today to make someone’s day easier?” “How can I do my work today in a way that it will improve life for others?”
Lastly, we discovered that the definition of work does not constrain our work to a defined time or season. We get to express God’s grace by His creative energy in the pursuit of serving others for as long as we live wherever we go. I love the purpose and freedom that concept gives.
This Sunday we will focus on how work can benefit us in ways other than a paycheck or perks. Work can help us grow. I hope you’ll be there to hear this encouraging message.
Can't wait to see you Sunday,
No comments:
Post a Comment