Making Work work for you.

“So how’s work?” Well that’s a question I bet all of us regularly ask other people. It’s a sort of acceptable if not expected way of greeting people today. However in more recent times the new question I ask these days is “Have you still got a job?”.  Whatever question we ask, invariably the talk turns on the subject of our work.

Whether we like it or not work is a major if not THE dominating factor in our life, virtually shaping everything we do and think. Think about it. Work determines what we study, where we live, who we marry, where our kids go to school, what we wear, how we speak, what parties we go to, what we read, where we go on holidays, who our friends are, who our enemies are. It determines when we go to bed and when we wake up, what we have for lunch, what phone plan to buy and whether to get a plasmas TV or not. The bottom line is that work is EVERYTHING. So it’s not surprising that we define ourselves by our work. Its crazy how we introduce people by their “title” eg This is Dr, or this Rev, or this is Judge, etc etc. We cannot think of ourselves apart from our work.

So if work is EVERYTHING its not surprising that everything else becomes nothing, or at least secondary, unimportant or a lesser priority. Sadly, this includes marriage, kids and ultimately our faith. So it’s tragic to hear of marriages falling apart because of work and kids growing up dysfunctional because their parents were too busy with work, never having time to spend with them.

The importance of work is also seen in the crazy principle I see in many newly married Christian couples. They have this strange idea that, now that they are newly married, they should take a year off ministry to concentrate on their marriage. The idea I think is a major misapplication of Deut 20:7 where newly married Israelite soldiers were told to go home to spend time with their new wife in case they get killed in battle and therefore missed bringing delight to his wife. While I respect their desire to build their marriage I’m often puzzled why newly married couples feel they can take a year off serving the church and not from work. Why is it that church is negotiable but not work? I know that it might be difficult to take time off work. Granted! But the problem is that it never even occurs in many couples minds that this might actually be an option. Church is always optional. Work is a non- negotiable. Just an aside, it’s really not that impossible to take a year off work. There are people who are more than happy to quit work, fly overseas and travel for a year or two holidaying around the world picking up odd jobs here and there. You see its not really that hard. If you put your mind to it you can do it. Anyway this is another issue, but I hope you get the idea – why is ministry negotiable and not work?

Ok, given all this, it begs the question, how do you keep this work/life balance that everyone raves on about? Well the ugly truth is you can’t!. I’m mean if work is everything, then the bottom line is that there are no boundaries for work and therefore there is nothing to balance. Its all work and no play. On the odd occasion when you do find time to play it is only because work let’s you do it, which is why everyone is always trying to find time to do other things but can’t seem to do so. So when work is everything many of us have very little time to do anything else other than work. Isn’t it any wonder that the one thing common about all workers is that they are forever busy and tired.

This work/life balance is a major, totally 100% myth —– IF we consciously or unconsciously think that work is everything. The only way to bring balance to the “force” is when we start putting boundaries around work. In other words we need to say to work “Enough is enough.” Work is NOT EVERYTHING. This is totally counter cultural, dangerous and down right suicidal for our careers. Like I said, in our society work is EVERYTHING. It refuses to have boundaries placed around it. Therefore to say to work – “enough is enough” is so against the tide that you’re going to be shot. So when you tell your boss that you can’t stay late on Wednesday nights because you have to lead a bible study that you promised – they’re going to say you’re crazy. When you tell you employer that you can’t work on Sunday’s because you have to go to church, they’re going to say you’re crazy. When you tell your work that you can’t fly overseas because you have family commitments they are going to challenge you about your commitment to work. But maybe that’s what’s necessary. When you see the way people are killing themselves because of work, and killing their marriages, their kids and their faith, then enough is enough. Work is good and great, but it’s not God and therefore it’s not worth dying for. Only God is worth dying for, and yes your wife and yes your kids, and yes your parents, but not work. Of course the company will think otherwise, but that’s their problem not yours.

So the only way to make work work for you is when we stop treating work like a god and start worshiping the true and living God. Once we start doing that, then we’ll come to realise that work, while it’s good and great is not the only thing in the world. There are relationships to enjoy, kids to play with, a good creation to delight in, people to serve and treasures in heaven we want to store for ourselves. Work is just one of the many good things God has given to us. Work is there for my good and not the other way around.

Let’s do something really wacko. Let’s make work work for me. Worship God, serve the lord Jesus and not work. Do your work, just don’t worship it.