Why Do I Have A Job?

Recently, on Facebook, I said:

"My job has the technical difficulty and significance of crossword puzzle solving."

That quote was the result of a lot of thinking I've been doing about my job, which is challenging and satisfying but ultimately insignificant. I reflect sometimes on whether anyone would notice my absence (since I work at home) or whether, if I switched jobs, how long it would take before I was just someone they blamed for the stuff that doesn't work.

Part of this is related to specialization. As jobs become more and more focused on smaller and smaller areas of expertise, each of those areas, taken alone, is less important in the grand scheme of things. It amazes me that every field of learning is incredibly deep and interesting. There is so much to absorb just about everywhere you turn. Even in my own field (PC embedded software), there are recognized experts and books and conferences and white papers and best practices. And I've been doing it for more than 20 years.

Sometimes when I start thinking too highly of myself, with my detailed technical expertise and the acclaim of my peers and track record of innovation, my conscience kicks in and I am reminded of this verse:

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. - Romans 12:3

So, how should I think of myself? How should I think about my work? Are all of the godly jobs reserved for pastors and missionaries or am I an expert in a sophisticated but ultimately second-class job? Certainly we who are in the church sometimes give that impression.

Here are a few things that God has taught me as I've been musing on this subject:

1. We Were Made to Work. Work is part of how God made us in the beginning (Genesis 1:26, 2:15, 2:19).  It is rewarding. Proverbs 12:14 says, "...the work of his hands rewards him.".  Because it is rewarding (like food!), it can also be a distraction from God. The Old Testament describes idols and our jobs with the same phrase: "the work of men's hands" (cf. Deut. 33:11, 2 Chronicles 32:19). Paul had some pretty harsh words for those who would not work. (2 Thess. 3:10)
2. My Job is Serving God. My job is spiritual. Serving at my job is serving God. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..." (Col. 3:23)
3. Work Well Done Wins Respect. My job reflects not only on me and my family, but on God himself.  My job is a place where what I believe comes out in both pleasant and unpleasant work conditions. "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (1 Thess. 4:11-12)
4. My Job Is A Conduit For Blessing. My job often provides beyond my needs so that my family can be a channel for God's blessings to flow. Holding on to those blessings for myself makes those blessings rot, but passing them on makes them multiply. "...but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need" (Ephesians 4:28b, referring to reformed thieves!)

 My job is a holy calling. It is the tangible expression of God's strength through me to change the world, whereever he allows me to work.

 

Tim