Undaunted Joy #128

The Joy of Work

"Mechanic and Steam Pump," 1921, Lewis W. Hine. Gelatin silver print.

What has been the best work in your life?

Was it work that left you tired and spent, your body aching at the end of the day? Or was it that time you worked as part of a cohesive team, that seemed to move like birds in a murmuration. Or was it when you had complete control over a project and a focus so clear, you knew exactly what you wanted to accomplish and could not stop until you got there. Or was it work that didn’t really feel like work at all?

If you are really honest with yourself, you might remember work that fit each of these scenarios.

As much as we complain about work, good work is so important.  It gives us purpose and identity. I don’t mean in the sense that we are our job but in the sense that we contribute to society, to our communities and to our home.

It is good to know you are needed and valued. That the work you are doing is challenging your body or spirit or mind in some way.  That you are doing something that matters…even if only to you.

I think about the man who made millions of dollars at a young age. He could have coasted for the rest of his life, living off that money. But instead, he divided it into other investments.  He put the money into businesses that would not only challenge his own mind, but if successful, would make a mark on humanity.

Of course, each of us do not have millions of dollars.  We are just regular people. But we do have something to offer; ourselves.

C.S. Lewis once said, “The work of a Beethoven, and the work of a charwoman, become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly “as to the Lord.” “

I think of this quote often when I work on a new writing project that has me challenged and holds a message I think will speak to hearts and souls. But I also think of this, when I clean our toilet in our only bathroom, which I share, with three men. Work is important. So is our attitude while we complete it. I know that keeping a tidy, clean and visually pleasing home affects the spirits of those who live within.

St. Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” When we offer work as an offering, it changes the value of the work greatly.  Each task, no matter how small or gritty or unpleasant, holds gravitas.

And yes, there is joy in that.

All of life changes within that reframing.

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Speaking of good work! This week there was a literary emergency! —And I was able to step in. When the keynote speaker for the Southwest Conference of Christianity and Literature took ill, I was called to fill it. I was honored and happy to. I hope to be able to share my talk “May We Never Lose Our Sense of Wonder” soon.

It was a fun challenge to write the talk on short notice and then fly out for just 24 hours! Thank you to the conference and Mandi Gerth for thinking of me.

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Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight is available for pre-order