What do you Work for?

If I were to ask you what your definition of work is, how would you respond? Is work considered work when there is money/pay involved? If so, then what about the work done by homemakers and students?

I looked up the definition of work in Merriam-Webster dictionary and it describes work as:

• to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations (i.e. it involves effort)
• to produce a desired effect or result; to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose (i.e. it involves a purpose)
• to set or keep in motion, operation, or activity: cause to operate or produce (i.e. it involves production)

And so, if you are like me and defined work as something which is a “curse” and which main aim is to bring food to the table, then we are missing out on what work really is.

I’m reminded of a few things today:

1. Work is considered work with or without money; it existed way before money was invented.
2. Work is not meant to be a curse because God works too, even till this day. Consider the following verses:”You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;” ~ Psalms 104:10‭ (ESV)”From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth” ~ Psalms 104:13‭-‬14 (ESV)

   “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures… When you give it (food) to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” ~ Psalms 104:24‭, ‬28 (ESV)

3. Work is meant to be creative where something is produced and renewed.”When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works,” ~ Psalms 104:30‭-‬31 (ESV)

The main question here: What do you work for? If you work just for money then you are missing out on how work can be purposeful and a blessing (instead of a curse) and how it can create, re-create and renew. Seek the work that God calls you to and trust that He will provide for you in the process.

Again, looking at Psalm 104, we see how God also works with us to provide for us. It is likened to how earthly parents work so their children can perform their work as students.

“You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart. The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers… Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”
~ Psalms 104:10‭-‬18‭, ‬25‭-‬28 (ESV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” ~ Matthew 6:25‭, ‬28‭-‬28‭, ‬31‭, ‬33 (ESV)

Work is greater than salary. It is also about purpose and an ultimate trust in God to provide and work alongside.

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James Lim

James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.