I’m drawn to some of the darker texts in the bible. Ecclesiastes, some of the Psalms and Job are the film noir of the Old Testament. But I was struck by the comfort and wisdom found in Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
“For this is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot. Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil—this is the gift of God. For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives, because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.”
Almost every person I know, in and out of the ministry, is dissatisfied with their current job or looking forward to their next job more than they are to their current position.
One whom God grants fulfillment in their occupation is richly blessed indeed.
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3 comments:
I have long maintained there are two approaches to enjoying your job. The first is to find a job you love; the second is to find a way to enjoy the job you have.
Sadly, our culture encourages the former and ignores the latter.
Bowden,
I have to disagree. If more people loved their job, we'd have fewer people only chasing the dollar and willing to "enjoy" any job, so long as it pays enough. Certainly there are Economics issues with supply and demand. Does the "invisible hand" direct the right number of people to love the right (economically most efficient) kind of job? Maybe not. But I think to try to find a job you love, as long as you are realistic, can save a lot of heartache. Perhaps the reason our culture encourages this more and more is because--for many at least--it is a real possibility.
I wonder how much of our sense of fulfillment in our work is governed by modern sensibilities. I remember a guy in our Texas church who worked a GM assembly line for 40 years, and then retired. I asked him once if he enjoyed the work. He looked at me like I was from Mars. "Enjoy it? No. But I had to feed my family."
Still, 40 years...
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