As Solomon draws to the
end of his taking stock of the world
through the lens of “under the sun,” he comes
to the topic of work. God created Adam and Eve to care for the garden and
creation, and he walked with them in the evening after a day of work. The first
gift God gave Adam and Eve after creating them was the gift of sabbath, the
gift of resting and enjoying the creation we live in, and the beautiful garden
they were to manage. But when they disobeyed God, they hid from him in fear;
work became filled with thorns and sweat. Yet our work is part of God’s work as
stewards of his creation, and part of his plan of redemption.
Solomon speaks to the
wisdom of hard work and
to developing different talents and opportunities within your work. He advises us
to “ship your grain across the sea,” to seek
out markets for your products, even if they’re not where you first considered. In
verse 2 he writes, “Invest in seven ventures, yes
in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” In an
agricultural society, it’s wise to make sure you’re not completely dependent on
only one crop or type of farming. Some crops handle drought better than others,
some crops do better in poor soil, different livestock need different types of
pasture and feed, and there’s no control over the weather and a multitude of
other variables that can impact you. Businesses were regularly impacted by
conflicts, trade barriers, bandits, or other problems.
Diversification allows
the family to get by,
no matter the circumstances. This is more difficult in today’s society, this
wisdom may look a little different; it may look like learning a number of
skills, or continual learning as most people today will hold a number of jobs,
and even very different types of jobs over their life. Flexibility is important
and wise today, and diversifying your income and investment as a protection
against bad yields in one area of the economy or another may also be wise; Solomon’s
emphasis is on our not knowing what the future holds
We know a lot of how
creation works: when
clouds are full it rains, and trees that fall will lie on the ground, and yet
our knowledge isn’t perfect, creation is still in God’s hands and he directs it
so that the rain doesn’t always fall when expected. We still need to go out and
do our work, even if the conditions aren’t perfect because otherwise, you won’t
have enough food on your table. Today this wisdom may look like taking a job
you don’t really want, but will feed you and your family. This is practical
wisdom, but it challenges our world’s teaching that you can be whoever you want
and that work has to be enjoyable. Eating is also enjoyable.
There’s so much we
don’t know: the path of
the wind, which often changes direction, to the mystery of life and how a child’s
formed in a mother’s womb. We know the biology of making babies, but the
forming of the soul and the image of God in each child is still a mystery to
us. It’s God-work that’s more than biology. Yet even though there’s so much we
don’t understand, we work with what we do know; we do the work set before us because
there will never be perfect conditions, and idle hands have a tendency to get
into trouble.
There are many unable
to work, as our society defines work.
We look at work with a pay-cheque as real work, yet work is about contributing
to the flourishing of our families and community. A stay-at-home mom or dad’s
work provides a solid foundation for the family, building strong families,
creating a flexibility to ensure that the family is able to adapt to all kinds
of unexpected situations. Families where there’s a stay-at-home parent are
ensured that their family’s faith and moral foundations are solidly part of
their children’s life foundations. This is valuable work. It builds deeper
relationships within the family and strong feelings of connectedness, safety,
and opportunities to communicate, quantity of time provides for moments of
quality time as a family. This builds strong families which builds strong
communities, blessing our society as a whole. It’s a weakness in our society
today that too many families need to have both parents work outside the home
simply to pay the bills.
Many are unable to do
paid work for health or
other reasons, yet many volunteer as they’re able. Unfortunately, their work’s
often under-valued and under-appreciated. Many of our non-profits benefit
greatly from their work. Age is often a factor in being able to work. I’ve
experienced the value of older people’s quiet work like prayer, notes of
encouragement, visiting shut-ins and the lonely, calling others, and sharing
their wisdom. All these community building acts of service bring huge value to our
community. For those who struggle with their health, engaging in this kind of
work helps you to look past your own situation by focusing on blessing others
and bringing joy and community into their lives.
God not only created us
to work; he’s also a
God who’s at work. Our work is part of the work he’s doing in his work of
redemption and restoration of creation, leading history and the present forward
to the return of Jesus and the full establishment of the kingdom of heaven here
on earth. There’s Jesus’ finished work: he became human, calling us to
repentance and belief, going to the cross, and taking our sin and punishment on
himself, returning to heaven after his resurrection, where he now mediates on
our behalf with his Father. Jesus sees work in the context of the kingdom of
God, “I will make you fishers of men,”
urging his followers to do the work of God. Our work flows out of God and the
Holy Spirit’s work in us, shaping us, guiding us as followers of Jesus.
God gives us our work,
knowing our abilities and gifts.
Our work is part of his plans for us, our families, and communities. Paul
refers to this in Romans 12:6a,
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given
to each of us,” and goes on to encourage us to use them. In
whatever work God calls us to, we work with and for God to discover how he
wants us to use our gifts in everyday situations at home, work, church, and
community. We often underestimate the gifts God has given us, and sometimes it
simply needs someone to recognize them in us and encourage us to develop them.
This can lead to some exciting opportunities that we would never have imagined
without that encouragement. God loves surprising us gently, or not so gently,
pushing us to become or do more than we ever saw in ourselves.
Our work is part of our
worship of God. We work as if we’re doing everything for Jesus, doing
our best; even if it’s hard or when we encounter obstacles or opposition. When
we do our work as if for Jesus, we’re better able to see, value, and encourage
the work others do. We begin to see how the work we do deeply connects us to
others in our community and the world. Think of a chicken farm. You buy your
chicks from someone who hatched them and nurtured them, you buy feed from
someone else who used the harvest from yet another farmer, you use equipment
made by someone else, perhaps in another country, then you sell your chickens
and they’re taken to a factory where they’re processed and then brought to a
store where someone buys them to feed their family. How many people are
connected together in this simple chain of work, how many people are blessed
and able to support their families in this interconnected chain that your farm’s
a part of? Our work is part of a cycle of blessing that helps our communities
to flourish.
When we seek God’s
righteousness through our work,
we track justice and virtue in our work. The decisions
you make as a business should think about things like fairness and value to
employees and customers, keeping our word, and adding value to the local
economy. Our work should bless, and not, as the Old Testament prophets remind
us, trample the poor or ignore the needy. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” As Professor Jonathan Haidt from New York
University’s Stern School of Business writes, “When your heart is open, then
your mind is open.” And good works are one of the primary means God uses to
open hearts.” We are the
body of Christ given as a gift for the life of the world; our work is part of
being God’s gift.
Solomon goes on to remind
us that light is sweet and
to enjoy the years God gives us because there will be dark years too. Solomon
encourages the young to enjoy their youth, while also reminding them that their
choices will have consequences, so make sure your choices are good ones. Youth
is a good time to experiment with many types of work and experiences; they’ll
help you gain wisdom, develop skills and talents, and learn the values of
family, community, and work.
Solomon calls us to not worry, even if you’re not young
anymore, even if your body isn’t the same as when you were younger and stronger;
with age comes wisdom. Don’t place so much value on your youth that you miss
out on the joy of maturing and growing old, of being able to see life through
the eyes of experience, having learned what’s important, of learning the value
of both work and relationship, of the importance of seeing the joy in the
simple things of life, experiencing the satisfaction of a good day’s work
followed by a meal and family, as Solomon has repeated over and over again. May
you find joy in your work, paid or unpaid, whether on a jobsite, at home, or in
the community as we seek to do it all for the Lord.
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