Despite how amazing our job may be, it will still have elements of toil. How we respond to this toil has an impact both personally, and beyond.
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19 ESV
The verses above paint a pretty bleak picture of work here on earth. It will be difficult, frustrating, and never as fruitful as it could be. In contrast, today’s culture says just find the job you love, and life will be good. So what is it?
We are to seek careers in work that we are skilled at and can use our gifts for. We can, and should, find joy in our work. However, no matter how good your job is, there will always be elements of toil.
Personally, this took many years for me to figure out. When I started my career, I was quite an idealist. I was continually frustrated by things like delayed schedules, pointless meetings, and interpersonally conflicts that occurred time and again, no matter where I was working.
As I have grown in my faith and my career, I now realize that this toil affects all jobs. Yet I have found three positive responses to the toil I face at work that I want to encourage you with.
~ Sean
Closed for now ... something new coming soon(ish).