Your Job Is A Blessing
Complaining about our jobs and our bosses is so common, it’s on the same level of boring as commenting on the weather. On Monday morning, we daydream about Friday afternoon, or the next vacation, or even a far off dream of retirement and sitting on a beach all day. Even in our society, where many jobs include free coffee and air conditioned offices instead of hard manual labor, work is seen as something to be endured and eventually escaped. Within the financial independence movement, freedom from mandatory paid employment is valued highly, and placed above desires for other experiences and possessions. Of course, financially independent Christians have responsibilities to work to further God’s kingdom on earth, devoting even more time and effort when they don’t have to worry about how to pay bills. But for those of us still paying mortgages and heading into the office, how can we make sure our attitude towards our jobs is pleasing to God, even as we pursue the ability to eventually quit?
Our response to our employment situations should be rooted in gratitude towards God. Whether I’m having a great day at work or not, my job allows me to provide for my family’s basic needs, as well as a cascade of earthly blessings that are decidedly not needs. Genesis tells us that God worked at the creation of the world, and later “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15), blessing Adam with work. What was this gardening job like? God didn’t give Adam a career aptitude test, or even ask about his interests. It seems the work was worthwhile and rewarding. Adam had to till the garden, indicating that the earth was improved and beautified with effort. God soon decided to provide Adam with a partner to work alongside him, implying that even in the perfect Garden of Eden, there was plenty of work to be done. Even without a lot of recorded dialogue between the humans at this stage, we don’t get the sense they complained about bad weather or the lack of good tools. Work was a chance to commune with creation and each other. But the blessing of work was complicated by the fall of man, and work went from a source of connection with God to a requirement for basic survival. God told Adam that “‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground,’” (Genesis 3:19) foreshadowing how many of us view our careers today– cursed and continuous.
The Bible is full of messages about work. Proverbs 12 holds lots of practical life lessons, ranging from marriage advice to the importance of honesty, and it contains a few passages about work as well. Verse 11 says “Those who till their land will have plenty of food, but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.” This seems clear enough: hard workers will be more prosperous than people who spend their days watching TikTok videos when their bosses aren’t looking. But then it gets more interesting. In verse 24, we are told that “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor.” So, the laziest people will ultimately have to work the hardest? This sounds counterintuitive at first, but when you consider it further, it squares with reality. Who works harder– the student who studies a bit for their final exam every day for a few minutes, or the one who crams all the studying in the night before the test? Which one is more likely to be the future boss of the other? Which one will retire first?
In the New Testament, we see more exhortations to work diligently, but the message feels different. Instead of a focus on hard work as a means to prosperity, we see work being remade as a blessing from God and a means of connection with creation. God makes a way for humanity to be reunited with Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and early Christians are excited that all elements of creation, including work, are being put right again. In Colossians 3, Paul insists that Christians be thankful to God and care for one another. He tells all workers, even slaves, to “obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” (verses 22-24). Work is no longer just a means of survival; it’s a way to obey God in a way mankind failed to do back in Genesis. In Ephesians 4, we see that honest employment allows us to separate ourselves from sin and move towards righteousness– “Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy” (Ephesians 4:28). Stealing is a perversion of work, because it’s about getting stuff for ourselves dishonestly. Now, through Christ, we get to do real work again, and use the fruits of this work to help other people! When viewed through this lens, honest employment is an amazing blessing, an opportunity to reflect God’s love on those around us.
Perhaps your boss is not the nicest person you know. Your salary is below market, your commute is rage-inducing, and the person in the cubicle next to you sneezes loudly and disgustingly every thirty seconds. Your current job may not be God’s will for your life long term, but “work” isn’t the problem. Unlike some of Paul’s readers in the first century, we are not slaves, and we can seek out safe, fairly compensated employment. But whether we need the money to provide for our families or not, we are blessed with a calling to work this new creation. Financial independence affords Christians the opportunity to focus our efforts on serving God and neighbor, without the distraction of needing a paycheck.
