common hope

In the last post, I mentioned the possibility that work exists for us to love God and love others. If work was only for producing goods—being productive and efficient—then it would probably be alright for us to ignore anyone who stood in the way of our productivity (maybe even commendable). But if the purpose of work is love, then this sort of disposition could distract us from what really matters. Let me give an example…

These last few weeks were really stressful for me at work. I was faced with deadlines that were nearly impossible to meet, and I overworked myself trying to meet them. I showed up early, worked through lunch, avoided conversation, and left late (then came back for more on the weekends). Anxiety is kind of obvious when you live like this. My anxious attitude was driven by a motivation to be productive and to meet expectations. This distracted me so much that it became my ultimate reason for showing up each day. Of course, productivity is a great thing, and important to strive for—it just may not be the ultimate reason for why we work.

Earlier this week I recalled a conversation Jesus once had with someone in a similar situation as me. You may be familiar with this story. It’s about a woman named Martha who was anxiously busy at her job, where her whole focus was on getting tasks done [1]. Her sister, Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to him instead of working with Martha. Jesus commented on Martha’s anxiety by telling her the following:

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things: but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” [2]

For me, these words really hit home this last week. It seems like Jesus is suggesting work can be a distraction from something more important, something more necessary. The passage doesn’t completely explain what Jesus means by “one thing necessary”, but I agree with Charles Spurgeon when he says that sitting at Jesus’ feet implies discipleship [3]. It implies a desire to listen to his wisdom and to enter into relationship with him. I don’t think it implies avoiding productivity, but rather debunks it as the ultimate thing, replacing it with loving Jesus and loving others [4].

It was refreshing for me to be reminded of this…God invites us to experience freedom from anxiety, where knowing him becomes the ultimate thing, and loving others is something we do with him. I find this drastically changes my perception of work, since it doesn’t feel like work should be a list of tasks for me to accomplish (although that’s the tangible result). Instead, maybe work acts as a tool for me to accomplish something else, something more ultimate—love.

What does this mean? In the case of my story, I think this means I can show up to work with a different focus that isn’t so single-minded. I’m thinking I can start to show up to love others. This begins with my tasks given to me by my supervisor, but becomes much more broad and adventurous as I interact with the various people around me.

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[1] From what I understand of 1st Century Judaism, the cultural job of women was to maintain their house, take care of their family, and take care of guests. Because of this, I think it helps our understanding of this story if we see what Martha was doing as her actual “job”, rather than simply hosting some friends on a weekend.

[2] Luke 10:41b-42 (NASB)

[3] Spurgeon, C.H. “The One Thing Needful.” Blue Letter Bible. http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=10&contentID=3620&commInfo=16&topic=Sermons&ar=Luk_10_42. (Delivered on October 15, 1871).

[4] I find this theme all throughout the bible. Psalm 73:28 & Matt.22:34-40 are some favorite examples.

I don’t think it would be hard to reason that work is a good thing. As I sit at a coffee shop I notice all the great things brought to me through the invention of a work-and-market system—clothes, chair, table, wi-fi, coffee, etc. It would probably be a moot question to start off asking, “Is work good?” After all, we enjoy the product of multiple types of work, and even need that work to sustain our life. Hence, by action, we prove our belief that work is a good thing.

So what is the real question behind our low value of work? Honestly, I think that will be complicated to uncover—there are probably too many roots to address them all. But maybe we can start with one at a time. Here is one I’ve found myself contemplating: “Is my work good enough? Is it sub-par?”

Imagine this Scenario: You come across a young man who has been affected by Jesus’ teachings. His whole view of life and relationships have now been flipped around. So much so that he tells you that he wants to spend the focus of his life loving God and loving others. What should he do? What would you recommend?

It’s funny. Most Christians hear someone talking like that and automatically say, “You should consider going to seminary.” Or “You should think about missions.” Neither of those suggestions are bad, but they may not be fair either. What’s hidden in those comments is the assumption that the work of loving God and loving others is reserved for full-time ministry. It may be subtle, but it’s there, and it damages the way we think about God and work. It certainly leaves the young man confused about his options.

One of the best sermons I ever heard about work was given by Tim Keller. He does a great job showing how God esteems secular work as an avenue for loving your fellow man, as you employ your unique talents and desires. I would refer you to Dr. Keller’s exposition of 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 if you are interested to see how this is concluded [1]. For now, I will simply highlight one great story he uses to develop this idea…

Eric Liddell was a Scottish runner who competed in the 1924 Olympics and won the 400 meter race. He really was one of the best runners in the world. But there was something else about him. Eric was a Christian, who loved God and loved others. And, more than anything, he wanted to go over to China as a missionary. But because he was such a good runner, people kept compelling him to be an athlete and compete in the Olympics. The film, Chariots of Fire, was a documentary on the person of Eric Liddell, and in that film there is an interesting conversation Eric has with his sister, Jenny. Jenny was actually upset with Eric because she thought he was “playing around” by running, and not just going to China right away. He explains to her his view by saying, “I believe God made me for a purpose (to go to China), but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Here Eric Liddell gives us a new view of work, suggesting a different take on how God feels about it. His view (which I agree with) suggests that when we use our God-given talents through work, we are loving God in a most significant way (we are carrying out our true design intention). Programming PLCs, Serving coffee, Encrypting network information, Teaching students, Designing airplanes, Competing in athletics, Creating art,… it’s all spiritual, and we experience God through this. I would take this a step further and even say that we are loving our neighbors too, since we are providing for the needs of people. This, to me, redeems the value of secular work; It gives us reason to believe our work is no longer sub-par, but weighty and significant. More than anything, it gives hope to people who want to love God and love others, because they are already doing it through the good of their work!

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[1] Keller, Tim. “Work.” Redeemer Presbyterian Church. http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/work (July 7, 1996).

(Source: )

In 1974 a book was published, titled Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. It was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs Terkel. Terkel was a highly esteemed radio broadcaster who took about three years to conduct interviews with normal American workers, gathering vignettes for his book. He carefully and meticulously captured what it meant to be a common [American] person in the common [American] world, and attempted to outline the purpose of work.

Seward Hiltner, a prominent theologian at Princeton, quickly responded to Terkel’s book in the same year by writing a review in Theology Today. His review was interesting, in that it recognized a sort-of hopelessness in Terkel’s interviewees. Work was not viewed as valuable in itself, but as an impersonal, dehumanizing experience.

Fast-forward 37 years. Has much changed? How many times do we find ourselves dreading that alarm clock in the morning, wondering if we can call in sick today? How often does the topic of retirement come up in work conversations, as if it were a dreamy expectation? We surely struggle to find and experience the intrinsic value of work. This is common. This is our world.

As a Christian, it is my belief that God has something to say about this, and it may be more relevant and less cliche than what mainstream Christianity has to say. The goal of this blog site is to openly discuss and examine the broad topic of work and human purpose, asking God what he thinks. I believe his response is one that will provide hope, a common hope.