Might All Work Be Sacred?
Today being Labor Day, the topic of yesterday’s sermon at our church was appropriately titled The Sacredness of Work. I followed along fairly studiously, however I am prone to miss a thought or two mostly due to being distracted by the attractive preacher delivering the message. Please don’t worry; my husband is aware of my struggle in this area. Although he’s not sure he wants me to overcome this challenge.
He mentioned in Genesis 1.26 that man’s first work assignment was to “rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole, earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” Moses continues to recall God’s assignment to take care of the land and eventually to take care of each other. What struck me the most, however, is God’s example to us as he carried out his work. After God created everything, chapter 2 states “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.”
Contained in these few verses are great reminders that we are to work. And we are to rest from our work. We read later in the New Testament that Paul encourages us in “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. Knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord”(Col. 3.23-24). What a great reminder that no matter what our work is, there is value and sacredness in doing our best.
I finally succumbed to the dreaded visit to the DMV to surrender my Florida drivers license and begin life as an official resident of Virginia. Part of the trepidation of this process was the actual trip to the DMV. Ironically, I had just heard a song on the radio dissing this establishment and portraying it as a place we all loathe. I went prepared to be turned away, surely not having brought whatever specific documents they required. I made an appointment and brought a book to bide my long waiting time. Surprisingly, there was no one in line ahead of me. More surprisingly, I was greeted with a warm and friendly smile and a “Hello, how can I help you?” Clutching my life history in a brown manila envelope, I spread all the papers out on the counter and somehow managed to bring everything I needed. As I waited for the clerk to find me in the database, I noticed her shirt that read, “There is power in the name of Jesus!” She proceeded to process my request as efficiently as the computer would allow her. She was kind. She was friendly. And so were her co-workers. This was not the DMV experience we expect.
As I left a few minutes later, I wondered if the difference was that she valued work. She understood all jobs to be sacred and worthy to be done well. And she was working for the Lord, looking forward to her reward of an inheritance from him. Oh, that we would all execute our work as a sacred gift offered to the Lord.
(The photo is of my daughter, Emilie, at work. Just because she’s such a cute worker!)