Purpose-Filled Work and Its Impact on the Christian Perspective of the Flourishing Life

WHAT IS A FLOURISHING LIFE?

Defining the flourishing life in a world with such diverse societies can become quite challenging. Because each culture is so complex in itself, finding a broad, all-encompassing answer is not easy. However, it would seem that the desire to be a part of something bigger than oneself is cross-cultural. Every society longs for purpose, so, in theory, a flourishing life would be one that has realized its purpose and has achieved it.

For the Christian, the flourishing life can be defined simply by the Westminster Shorter Catechism that states, “What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”[1] The transcendent purpose that all human beings long for has been specified as bringing honor to God. Christians believe this is all-pervasive; one’s desire to glorify his Creator should affect everything one does. One can have confidence that they are living life well when they are living their life with the purpose of glorifying God. Because work takes up such a large portion of one’s life, it would only make sense that this same definition for a flourishing life would also apply to work.

Christians derive their understanding of work as a means of the flourishing life from the first chapters of the Bible. In Genesis 1 and 2, readers are told that God has created the Earth and everything in it and has deemed it good. He delights in creating. Human beings, as the crown jewel of His creation are then deemed “very good” and are given the mandate to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…”[2] This passage shows readers that, from the world’s first conception, while still in its paradisal state, work was a good and purposeful thing.

CURRENT CULTURAL PERCEPTION OF PURPOSE IN WORK

            It is not until Genesis 3[3], at the fall of mankind, that work becomes a burdensome task of obligation rather than an act of joy and purpose. Unfortunately, this tainting of what was meant to be good continues to affect the cultural perception of purpose in work. People are finding it harder and harder to find meaning in their lives. Because their longing to be a part of something bigger than themselves can only be satisfied by God, their searching of the world for purpose leaves them empty-handed. Slowly, this has lead generations of people to settle for temporary satisfaction instead.

Evidence of this downward spiral of people seeking purpose is shown in a study conducted by Jean M. Twenge, Elise C. Freeman, and W. Keith Campbell. This study analyzed the importance of various goals for three separate generations. In this study, about 15,000 18 year olds were asked to rate how important various goals were to them. This study has taken place every year since 1966 in order to receive accurate data from Baby Boomers (1966-1978), Generation X (1979-1999), and Millennials (2000-2009) when they are in their transition from high school to college. Two goals in particular have changed in their perceived importance drastically from generation to generation. The perceived importance of the goal of developing a meaningful philosophy of life has decreased from 73.0% with Baby Boomers, to 46.9% with Generation X, ultimately to 44.6% with Millennials. On the other hand, the rating of the importance of being very well off financially has ascended from 44.6 % with Baby Boomers, to 70.8% with Generation X, to 74.4% with Millennials.[4] These statistics display that the significance of achieving financial exorbitance versus discovering a purposeful life is nearly inverse when comparing the Baby Boomer generation to the Millennial generation. Because monetary goals are slowly exceeding that of metaphysical goals, it becomes clear that the general view of a flourishing life would be one that achieves that monetary goal in work. This is detrimental because this definition of a flourishing life in work is far from the Biblical perspective of glorifying God in purposeful work.

            Unfortunately, it seems that the cultural issue of seeing work as a way to get to their monetary goal has slowly creeped into the Church. A dichotomy has been created between Sunday morning and the 40 hours spent at work during the rest of the week. Work has become simply a means to end. One’s job is no longer seen as another way to glorify God, but rather as a way to finance the rest of one’s life goals. One of the clearest examples of this is the separation in churches of “Christian” jobs versus the rest of the workforce. Men and women seeking a career in full time ministry are honored and prayed for to no end. On the other hand, those going into careers as teachers, stay at home mothers, construction workers, etc. go unnoticed.

Christians should be concerned with this shift, first and foremost because we are called to be set apart. The Gospel of Christ gives Christians the purpose of glorifying and enjoying God on this Earth. This should permeate everything we do, work included. Finding purpose in our vocation should be the natural outflow of having God as a part of our lives. This purpose of glorifying God in our work should be a big part of what sets Christians apart. One study done by ReviseSociology estimated that a person that works from age 18 to 67 will spend approximately 92,120 hours at work. This is about 20% of the average person’s waking life.[5] It is all too often that this 20% of one’s life is thought of simply as an obligation. This 20% of our lives seems to be overlooked by Christians and the Church.

EMBODY THE VALUES

            Christians gives sermons and speeches about living for God. Verses like 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”[6] or Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”[7] are recited. How deep into our being are these passages seeping though? If Christians truly want to follow these words, they must lead by using the concept of “embody the values” that comes from the book, The Secret.[8] This is what it all comes down to. Christians say that Christ affects every part of us and our lives, but is it affecting the way we view work? It would not appear so from an outside look.

            Churches honor those who become pastors, take off work to go on a mission trip, or volunteer for their church. The large portion of one’s life spent at work remains untouched by the Church. This is because many using any job without “ministry” in the job description to glorify God are not honored. Churches gather around and pray for men and women going into the mission field, but no one prays for the stay at home mother who is faithfully raising her children to follow God. One leaving for seminary receives encouragement from other Church members, but no one thinks about the extra work the business manager puts in to show his employees the joy God has brought to his work.

If those who integrate the gospel into their daily work are not honored, it would go to show that Christians are not embodying the value of seeking to glorify God in everything. When someone’s daily work is not honored and encouraged to be Kingdom-building, the art of integrating the gospel into one’s career is lost. One consequence of this is that when children do not see their parents or leaders using their career to glorify God and only see jobs as a means to make money, they are not going to search for purpose in their work when they are older.

Many have forgotten how to even go about demonstrating purpose in work. Churches can show how deep their convictions about grace, integrity, forgiveness, joy, and honesty go by teaching their members to embody these attributes as a way to glorify God in their vocation. Churches should create a culture that honors work and pushes people to excellence in their job.

WHAT INFLUENCE DO I HAVE?

            As a worker, I am able to influence through embodying the values. Through taking responsibility and being intentional in my work, I know that I am glorifying God and finding purpose in my work. This is frequently displayed in the way that I speak about my job. People that know me know how much my job means to me and how much I value the time that I get to spend there. It is more than just a job, it is a way that I glorify God.

            I also have influence in the way that I treat workers that I come into contact with on a daily basis, whether that means other church members or even workers at different businesses that I come into contact with. If I show other people that I think that their role has significance in the Kingdom of God, it helps to encourage them to believe that as well.

WHAT IMPACT DOES THIS HAVE ON THE FLOURISHING LIFE?

            About 40 of the 168 hours in a person’s week is spent at work. How much more peace and joy would our generation have if they spent those 40 hours doing something that they knew had purpose and fulfilled what they were created to do? This would leave a huge impact on Christians who then would be able to show others their faith through the way they view work as glorifying to God.

Bibliography

Blanchard, Ken and Mark Miller. The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2004.

Twenge, Jean M., Elise C. Freeman, and W. Keith Campbell. "Generational Differences in Young Adults’ Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966 –2009."Personality Processes and Individual Differences (2012): 5. Accessed April 30, 2017. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-102-5-1045.pdf.

Westminster Assembly. The Shorter Catechism. London, England: A.M. 1647.

"What Percentage of Your Life Will You Spend at Work?" ReviseSociology (2016). Accessed April 30, 2017. https://revisesociology.com/2016/08/16/percentage-life-work/.

Losing the Remote: A Memoir

A few years ago, I flew back to Idaho for Christmas with my relatives. The Northwest is always beautiful in the wintertime and most of my extended family still resides in the mountains of Clearwater-Nez Perce National Forest and around Camas Prairie. As we drove to my mother’s parents’ cabin, fog rolled down the brae and settled into the canyon. The sky dusted a powdery white blanket enshrouding the color of the evergreens. Thick curtains of ice draped down from a train trestle above, its shadow moving past as we turned onto a familiar lane.

Stepping from the car, our snow boots met the ground with a dull crunch. I breathed out slowly, my breath curling into the crisp air, and pulled my scarf over my nose. In the center of the driveway, a yellow lab with paws two sizes too big sat on his haunches watching. It almost seemed as though he had been sitting there since we left the last time, waiting for us to come back; as though everything had been waiting.

Five years prior, inspired by the Wild West of the 1870s, my cousins and I created a small town we dubbed “Tree Top Village.” Tucked under the pines on the mountainside above my grandparents’ orchard, we carved out a main street with houses built from branch supports and shingles of moss peeled from the rocks below the spring; a bridge of fallen trees, so that we could cross the small gorge blocking the path to our fort from our “Cowboys versus Indians” days; a jail to keep in the scoundrels that stole our pinecone currency; and a town dog, Kingsley, who was mistaken for a mountain lion a few times.

We pioneered this community. We were the first settlers hailing from distant lands to establish a form of money, an occupation for each citizen, and homes to shelter the younger children among us. Deterioration from our absence never lasted long. When a storm swept through and knocked over a home, we banded together to rebuild the structure. We spent every moment we had improving our institution.

Soon after arriving, I found myself trudging through the snow with the waiting dog loping after me. Kingsley had since passed away and been buried next to the first of my grandparents’ dogs, below the brush next to the garden. He had been replaced with a surrogate named Paddington. Coming upon the bridge, it was revealed to be in shambles. I shuffled across it warily while Paddington opted for a longer, alternate route. The houses were stripped of their moss coverings, having long since rotted away. The wooden frames stood skeletal, sighing under the weight of the snow.

I felt as though I was underwater. I moved about slowly, everything hushed. The footprints I left were waves in water neglected. The whole scene seemed distorted. Aside from the occasional huff from Paddington, it was still and silent. The place of my childhood had only stayed active in my memories.

I realized that while I was gone “Tree Top Village” had become abandoned altogether. As far as I had known, my cousins still visited my grandparents fairly frequently. I had assumed that this meant they trekked up to repair any new damage in our town when they were there. I was incorrect.

Coming back, our priorities had changed. We traded in hours of play and creating an imaginary life for hours of watching others’ lives on television as an anesthesia for our own. We were passive; watching the world go by quickly, not cherishing the last moments we had left before adulthood. We had pressed pause on our youth and then lost the remote.

I have not been back there since then. I know now that when I do go back, I will not waste my time away looking at a screen. I will appreciate every moment I have, because I may not know until the page has already turned that a chapter in my life has come to a close. I will treasure the time that I was able to have in Idaho, but I will not lament for it. My past will be waiting me for me to fall back into it, but I recognize that I should continue to move forward and I will do so, allowing those memories to remind me to be someone who invests wholly in the people around them and place they are at.

A Glimpse of Shalom

I wake up this morning to the smell of campfire embers struggling to stay alive, the occasional sound of sleeping bodies shifting in hammocks, and shafts of sunlight just beginning to peek through the tree branches above.

In this moment, I am wrapped and comforted by the knowledge that this is all because of You. Surrounded by fellow believers, taking a weekend to admire Your creation, I am amazed at the glimpse of shalom that You have allowed me to experience. This is merely a fraction of the perfect connection I will feel when I stand in Your presence, yet even just this short moment is enough to leave me breathless. You still my restless heart and content my insatiable longing.

You are the cornerstone to my connection to these people, and because of that we have a bond that no secular relationship can parallel. You have loved us with a love that is not fickle and dependent on good weather. Because of your example, we have learned how to love each other unconditionally; Not for our own sake, but for Yours. 

Thank You, God, for friendships and allowing them to be a part of Your plan; for allowing us to draw closer to You by encouraging and sharpening each other. Please help me to develop an even deeper appreciation for You, the friends You have given me within the Body of Christ, and the creation You have made for us to explore. 

I'm Not That [Breaking] Bad

Why do people like Breaking Bad so much? What draws people in so far that they will sit down and watch half of a season in a day? Breaking Bad feels like we could be watching the news and hearing about a model citizen gone bad. It seems as though its storyline could happen in real life. It gives us a closer look at some of the things that really happen in the methamphetamine industry. Breaking Bad allows us to dissect the life of a man just like us, but that lives a double life as a drug-lord, all while tucked away safely on our living room couch. It lets us see what we think it would be like to feel free from the financial unrest that many of us face.

            Breaking Bad seems real. Most drug dealer stories seem distant, but Breaking Bad is close to home. We could go our whole lives without meeting a “hardened criminal” drug dealer like Tuco, but it is quite unlikely that someone has never taken a high school Chemistry class. Walter, as a high school Chemistry teacher, connects us to this whole other world. He closes the gap between those who are seemingly unaffected by drugs and those who are in the drug industry.

            The show’s believable execution brings us closer to the world of methamphetamine. It is not like the cheesy sitcoms or overdramatized “reality” shows that we have become accustomed to. Each episode is comparable to a full length film in the amount of time that it looks like was dedicated to it. The actors never miss a beat, the cinematography is creative and connects us to the story, and the music draws us in emotionally. All this adds to the engaging screenplay that makes us feel like, in another life, we could have been Walter.

            People like this sense of familiarity, but also desire exploration. People want to see their own struggles portrayed on screen, but also to see their own problems overcome. So many people are struggling financially at this time, living paycheck to paycheck. They dream of living a worry-free life. Breaking Bad gives a story we are familiar with; a family with just enough, until tragedy strikes. Suddenly, we are scrambling to grasp any stable thing that we can. Walter’s family is able to get along comfortably until he is diagnosed with cancer. At the news of his malignant fate, Walter clambers to hold onto his family. Money seems to be the solution to our lack of freedom, but is difficult to get when every dollar seems to be sucked up by the endless vacuum of medical bills, car insurance, etc. caused by the tragedy. Walter is able to find a way to escape this bondage; at least, financial bondage.

            Walter discovers the ability to provide for his family by putting on a new persona, Heisenberg. This Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde like scenario is appealing to us. People are not content with who they are and where they are at in life. Breaking Bad tells the story of a discontented man who is able to live a second life, parallel to his first. Because Walter claims that his depraved actions as Heisenberg are for his family’s wellbeing, it is difficult for us to decide whether or not we should root for him.

            The characters in Breaking Bad are complex. Walter isn’t the only one that we question our loyalty to. We want to pin down each character as good or bad, so we know who it is okay to give license to. Every character is exceedingly flawed, mirroring our own human nature. It is easy for us to recognize these vile attributes in other people, but much harder for us to acknowledge that we may falter in the same ways. Because of this, it is difficult for us to bring ourselves to decide whether to commend or condemn the characters of Breaking Bad. If we are willing to admit it, we see aspects of ourselves in all of them. These elaborate characters add to the intricacy of the show. We sit on the edge of our seat and anxiously wait 15 long seconds for the next episode to start, because we do not know what to think. We believe that the next segment of the story will clarify who we are supposed to approve of and we like the way this keeps us hooked.

            We gorge ourselves with Breaking Bad because it poignantly displays the human condition. The series allows us to examine other people dealing with our own life obstacles from the other side of a glass screen. We are free to scrutinize, empathize, and satirize; all while leaving us with the temporary illusion that at least I’m not that bad.