The Problem with Work

One of the great things about living in the USA is having the opportunity to start a business and fulfill a dream from anywhere.  It could be from your garage like Apple Computers, from your home like Etsy, or from the trunk of your like Under Armour.  While these companies are now worth millions, like any other business, they started out with only two things, a hope and dream.  They struggled to get off the ground and get people to believe in them and they didn't get to where they are overnight.  

However, for these company founders and owners, the harsh reality is that one day they will leave their hard work in the hands of others.  According to Time, "70% of rich families lose their wealth by the second generation and a stunning 90% by the third."  Why would someone work so hard at something to just leave it behind?

If we want to see our work mean more, and I believe many of us do, then we must look at where work comes from, why it's here, and it's truly for.  The best attitude you can take to your office, your factory, your farm, your cubicle on Monday morning is the mindset found in Colossians 3:17 - "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

You Can't Take it With You

We already touched on one problem with work, you can't take it with you.  No matter how much money you make, how much land you acquire, or how many factories you own, you will leave it all behind.  If we don't take an eternal perspective to our work, we will likely fall into one of two categories:

Idleness - "When your work doesn't have a purpose beyond this world, you may be tempted to get by with doing as little as possible, making just enough money to survive."

Idolatry - "This is the opposite mindset of idleness; this happens when you idolize your work and make it your god.  If this life is all there is, work long hours so that you can accumulate wealth as quickly as possible so that you can live in leisure and self-indulgence."

You Can't Trust the Kids When You're Gone

"One of the test of leadership is what happens when we're gone.  Does everything continue smoothly as if we were still there or does it become better (or worse)?  If we have focused only on building success ourselves, we likely won't take time to prepare others to take over."  Who knows what our children or successors will do with what we leave them?  If we only focus on building our kingdom and fail to prepare the generation coming, we will leave everything we've worked for in the hands of someone who is not ready to take control.  "We should equip those who come after us to be good stewards of all the blessings God has entrusted to us.  A kingdom perspective helps us avoid a skeptical attitude toward those who carry on our work."

What Does the Worker Gain From His Struggles?

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon asked the same question that many of us have before, especially on a really bad day when nothing goes right and we're overwhelmed - What does the worker gain from his struggles?  First, we've got to remember that work is not the problem.  Work is a gift from God and not a curse.  It was assigned to Adam BEFORE sin entered the picture.  But one of the consequences of sin is that our work is now "painful labor."  We've allowed our work to become a struggle instead of a gift with the proper attitude mentioned earlier.  Some days you have to struggle through the paperwork, the upset clients, and the deadlines so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor in the right time.  Ecclesiastes 3:13 reads, "It is also a gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts."  God wants us to enjoy life, eat good, drink good, have fun, and enjoy the results of a hard day's work.  

This doesn't mean that every day will be good, that every customer will be pleasant, or that every negotiation will be prosperous.  But it does mean that having one bad day, one upset client, or one deal to fail should not shift our focus from all the good things that we have and will accomplish.  

Keep your head up.  Prepare those under and around you to take over when you're gone. Enjoy your work, enjoy today.   I hope that everyone has a job that can be fulfilling, rewarding, and providing.