Work. What is the purpose of work? Many people work their whole lives, spend and save money in jobs they don’t like so they can retire, don’t they? But what if the purpose for work is to prepare us for heaven? Have you ever thought of it that way? Would that change the way you approach your job? Would it change where you work or what you are doing? There are many verses in the Bible that talk about work. Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about not working. Our culture has come up with the retirement mindset. It does say, however, if you don’t work, you don’t eat. LOL. That’s not true anymore.
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.
John 6:27
We were created to work and toil to add meaning to our lives from the beginning of time. Adam and Eve were given charge of the Garden of Eden. Work gives us meaning, and purpose. I’ve always told my kids when it comes to work, to find something they love to do and learn to make money doing it. That’s the best and easiest. But honestly, there are many jobs out there that people need to fill and they aren’t pretty. They may even be monotonous. Maybe you have one of those jobs. How do you make it meaningful to you or others? It may not be about the work itself, but the relationships or the service it provides to others. You can find meaning.
Meaning and Purpose
God puts on our hearts a desire for work. We want to make a difference. We want to be great at something. God gives us all gifts and abilities to use for the good of those around us, in our communities. We just have to figure out what it is that would give our lives meaning and purpose.
When we get older, many of us retire but that doesn’t mean we should stop working. We are at our best self. We are wiser now and have so much life experience, so much to still give to others. Our ‘work’ will just look a little different. We can begin something that will give us meaning and fulfillment. We may not be able to do the manual labor and lifting we once did, but that’s when we should rethink what it is we can do. God may have another purpose in mind for us.
In Matthew Kelly’s book, The Rhythm of Life, he writes about many people who didn’t get started with something great until they were older: Ray Croc, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, to name a few. (I recommend this book to everyone. It will help you find that ‘best-version-of-yourself.’)
It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives.
St. John Paul II
Greatness
I want you to think about something you could be great at. What is it that you have always wanted to do? Think about it. Pray about it. Ask God to show you where you could contribute to making your life great, full of purpose and meaning. Then, get started!. Watch how you will set the world on fire. Keep working, keep going, because when we work we are contributing to the benefit of others, as well as ourselves. God has plans for you.
Set some goals. Make a plan. Put it in your calendar or planner. Make work a daily habit. If you don’t need the money, be a volunteer. The world needs us to keep working and to teach others the gift of what it means to work.
Thanks for following along. I appreciate you!. God bless.–Barb
