Can't Wait Until Monday
“In every letter St. Paul wrote, he demonstrated that a Christian’s work is a natural, inevitable and faithful development out of God’s work. Each of his letters concludes with a series of directives that guide us into the kind of work that participates in God’s work. The curse of some people’s lives isn’t work, as such, but senseless work, vain work, futile work, work that takes place apart from God, work that ignores the if. Christian discipleship, by orienting us in God’s work and setting us in the mainstream of what God is already doing, frees us from the compulsiveness of work. Hilary of Tours taught that every Christian must be constantly vigilant against what he called irreligiosa solicitudo pro Deo—a blasphemous anxiety to do God’s work for him. Our work goes wrong when we lose touch with the God who works “his salvation in the midst of the earth.” It goes wrong both when we work anxiously and when we don’t work at all, when we become frantic and compulsive in our work (Babel) and when we become indolent and lethargic in our work (Thessalonica). The foundational truth is that work is good. If God does it, it must be all right. Work has dignity: there can be nothing degrading about work if God works. Work has purpose: there can be nothing futile about work if God works.” —Eugene Peterson
For the Christian, work ought to be central to his devotion to God and not a distraction from it. In the midst of frustrating tasks, colleagues, bosses and employees, it’s helpful to remember not only did God create (work) and instruct Adam and Eve to imitate him before the fall, but he also entered our fallen creation as a working man. Jesus worked a construction job without power tools, and without sin. You probably work at your job more than you do any other single activity. Working faithfully, productively, and cheerfully six days a week (five in the office, one out, or however you break it up) will orient much of the rest of our lives for faithful obedience. It’s easy for people to be lazy (especially men), and it’s easy for people to over-work in an idolatrous way that neglects spouses, children, neighbors, friends and the poor. But grace gives us balance: work and rest, mid-week and Sabbath, exhausting 60-hour-week harvest seasons and regular, satisfying 45-hour work weeks. Recovering the Protestant work ethic coupled with Sunday worship and celebration is the need of the hour.