How meaningful is your work? For many of us, we find a great deal of meaning in our work. We have a tendency to wander into those fields that we enjoy, or that we have some degree of aptitude in. We enjoy putting our time and effort into our work, and find joy and fulfillment in it. In some ways, we don't mind when it's hard work because it's meaningful.
But what happens when your work isn't meaningful? For many of us, we also find ourselves in careers or jobs or occupations that we didn't necessarily anticipate. Or, we find ourselves in those kind of jobs that we think of as menial. We fail to see how meaningful those positions are, and so we find ourselves merely being a warm body doing what is necessary to get a paycheck.
In my perusal of the Bible, I have noticed that our God is one who seems to believe in meaningful work. After all, everything that there is that needs to be done is there because of His creation. God gives meaning to work because He created us to be active in working as we care for this world and creation. Now, because of the presence of sin in the world, our work is often challenging, difficult, and can seem dreary rather than joyful. But God's intent from the beginning was for work to be meaningful.
I bring this up because we also often find much work to be done in our life together as Christians in the context of our congregations. Yet, so often, that work doesn't seem to be all that meaningful. We get chosen for a board, or a position, and seem to discover that we're a warm body filling a spot that some document calls for to exist. We don't see the meaning of the position, and so we don't find ourselves doing the work of the position.
I have come to believe that meaning, however, isn't something that we draw out of work or positions which call for work, but is rather something that we bring as we work. Meaning, in and of itself, does not exist in relation to our work. The work is merely necessary. The meaning comes when we look at what we are chosen to do, when we apply ourselves and make things happen, and as we start to touch the lives of others with the work we do.
In other words, we so often bring meaning to our work, rather than getting meaning from our work. And here's another thing. That meaning tends to come when we find out how our work impacts others. In other words, meaning comes when we apply ourselves to our work, and when we see that the work touches other people in their lives. Meaning comes when community touches our work, and when our work touches community. And as we discover that meaning, we then are so often led to invest ourselves even more in what we are doing, because we see the importance it has for us, as well as others.
But what happens when your work isn't meaningful? For many of us, we also find ourselves in careers or jobs or occupations that we didn't necessarily anticipate. Or, we find ourselves in those kind of jobs that we think of as menial. We fail to see how meaningful those positions are, and so we find ourselves merely being a warm body doing what is necessary to get a paycheck.
In my perusal of the Bible, I have noticed that our God is one who seems to believe in meaningful work. After all, everything that there is that needs to be done is there because of His creation. God gives meaning to work because He created us to be active in working as we care for this world and creation. Now, because of the presence of sin in the world, our work is often challenging, difficult, and can seem dreary rather than joyful. But God's intent from the beginning was for work to be meaningful.
I bring this up because we also often find much work to be done in our life together as Christians in the context of our congregations. Yet, so often, that work doesn't seem to be all that meaningful. We get chosen for a board, or a position, and seem to discover that we're a warm body filling a spot that some document calls for to exist. We don't see the meaning of the position, and so we don't find ourselves doing the work of the position.
I have come to believe that meaning, however, isn't something that we draw out of work or positions which call for work, but is rather something that we bring as we work. Meaning, in and of itself, does not exist in relation to our work. The work is merely necessary. The meaning comes when we look at what we are chosen to do, when we apply ourselves and make things happen, and as we start to touch the lives of others with the work we do.
In other words, we so often bring meaning to our work, rather than getting meaning from our work. And here's another thing. That meaning tends to come when we find out how our work impacts others. In other words, meaning comes when we apply ourselves to our work, and when we see that the work touches other people in their lives. Meaning comes when community touches our work, and when our work touches community. And as we discover that meaning, we then are so often led to invest ourselves even more in what we are doing, because we see the importance it has for us, as well as others.
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