Most people do not eat the food they hate nor do they watch the shows they hate. They don’t go to parks that they hate and they do not suggest activities to their friends that they hate doing. For the most part, we follow this as a general rule for our lives. Which makes it seem like an elementary concept, but from a biblical worldview, it has a massive implication behind it.
Our first inclination is to look at this and say “makes sense,” until you realize that that you were pointing out specific results of certain tasks. By that I mean in the examples given, the task wasn’t smoked salmon, it was eating. FRIENDS was not the task, it is a show (one that I think people give way too much credit to at that). The task was watching TV. You get the idea.
The What vs. The How
We cannot confuse the task with the way we choose to do a task. In other words, we cannot confuse the what that we are doing with the how we are doing it. If we have favorite shows that we cannot go without seeing, it is safe to say we do not hate watching television. You may hate watching sports, but that doesn’t mean you hate watching TV. I think you understand what I am trying to convey here. I think it is a basic foundation for the rest of this post.
We could go on and on about all the things you say you hate or have hated, but one area reigns supreme in this category. There is one area that most people will say “I could think of a thousand other things I would rather be doing” that comes to mind when I think of this. Anytime you ask the follow-up question of, “well, what would you rather be doing?” it’s always leisure activities like hanging out with family and friends, reading a book, traveling, going shopping, or even just sleeping. The one thing most people would say they hate doing is a no brainer: work.
Eeeeeeeverybody hates work. Well, most everyone anyway.
They hate everything about it. The alarm clock. The early morning stumbling into some decent clothes. The overhyped line at Starbucks. The morning rush (or lack of rushing) in traffic. The hours of doing things that seem redundant. The coming home spent and unable to give the best part of your day to your family. The work that was neglected all day while you were at your job. The going to bed early just to do it all again tomorrow for 30 years.
The Common Denominator
Since this seems to be a common denominator, I am going to stick to this specific area for this post and hopefully give you a perspective that you already know and need the reminder, or perhaps you gain a new perspective and actually takes the burden away just a smidge.
If you go back to my last post, you’ll see that we talked about telling the truth or at least not lying. In essence, this particular “rule” is an expansion of the first because it’s all about your integrity. If you say one thing, but do the opposite, what does that make you? A liar and a hypocrite. That’s exactly how these two “rules” can be joined. If you say you hate your job, but you continue to do it, in some sense of the way doesn’t that make you a person who is not being truthful or at the very least hypocritical?
Just so you don’t think I am looking down on anyone, no one is a greater offender of this than me. I get in these slumps where I just get super down about aspects of my job. It’s easy to mope and complain and those days, when they come along, they hang around for a couple of days. So before I go any further, just know you are in good company if this is you.
3 Considerations: Evaluate, Ask, and Fight
We need to do three things as we consider our feelings toward work:
Evaluation
In my opinion, there is only one place to start: Contentment. Discontentment can murder your mood and devastate your mental well-being. It can come out of nowhere and likely comes when you are in a situation you’d rather not be in. It’s like a sucker punch that comes out of nowhere. Car isn’t nice enough? Right jab. House isn’t big enough? Left cross. Your body doesn’t look good enough? Right hook. Job too mundane and not fulfilling? Mike Tyson body shot followed by two hard uppercuts. You’re down and your down for the count until something changes.
Oddly enough, no matter what you are discontent about, the thing you may be discontent about changes, but the opponent stays the same. Imagine being in a fight with Mike Tyson and every time you get knocked out, you get up and finally shake the fact that you just got handled and took a big L, just to see that you’ve been booked against Tyson again. And again. And again. He might beat you with a thousand different combos, but he beats you every time nonetheless. That’s exactly what happens with discontentment.
You can always find areas of your life where you are discontent, but you never go toe to toe with a new opponent. But who is this relentless opponent? Who is this hard-hitting champion that continually seems to take you back 4 steps when you thought you were making progress up the ranks? Who could possibly know every move you want to make and dodges it all and always gets the best of you? It is none other than yourself.
The natural sinfulness in you—and everyone else—is so inclined to run toward a mindset that would initiate a path of destruction. You can read Romans chapter 1 through chapter 7 to get a clearer picture of what I am trying to say. At any rate, when you begin to understand that it’s typically the regenerated you versus the old you, you at least know your tendencies enough to know what could be done. The most difficult part is doing them, and part of that is asking “why?”
Ask
In the midst of difficulty, it’s easy to take a defensive stance. We see an attack coming and we go straight into “get safe” mode. This mechanism that you have developed is part of your neurological adaptation over time. Your amygdala sends a distress signal which triggers your “fight-or-flight” mode and you act accordingly (watch out! I’m flexing what little I know about psychology here).
This is not easy to combat because it is part of our natural inclinations to take the easy route, but we have to begin forcing a change because this is all part of the flesh’s fight plan. Like I said earlier, in your flesh you took the easy path. So when you are trying to go up against yourself, the flesh knows you want to hit the flight button, so you have to ask yourself, “What is the logical response to this situation that would be most effective?” The answer when battling the flesh should never be a defensive answer. For the Christian it should always default to high intensity offense. What does that mean? No more running. No more back peddling. We stand and fight.
Fight
If you ever needed a life verse when struggling against your natural tendency to run, read 2 Timothy 1:7 and meditate deeply. Go ahead…
Okay, here you go: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Think on it for a second or ten...
I’m not sure what your initial thoughts are when you read a verse like that, but three words stood out in bold to me as I read it: Power, Love, and Discipline. I could write another three pages on each of those, but I will spare you (for now) and give you the spark notes.
Power: 1 Corinthians 4:20
We belong to God’s Kingdom. We are His children. This does not mean we walk this life in a self-loathing weakness that shows the world defeat. We ARE the Kingdom. We are not just a bunch of lip servants out here preaching the good news and hoping Jesus will rescue us every second. He HAS rescued you! He HAS given you reason to stand firm! He HAS given you the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer anything this world throws at you.
The second you think you have been defeated, you can pray like Paul to the Ephesians that God would strengthen you in the power of The Spirit through the riches of his glory! We do not represent a power that is self-generated, but a power that comes the moment we are regenerated! Not only do we represent that Power, we possess that Power who is The Holy Spirit sent by The Father through The Son!
Think about this for a moment: You possess The Trinitarian Power that initiated and overcame death itself. The problem is we just talk about it too much and often fail to truly walk in it. We want to tell people about the power we possess through our new birth, but we walk around waiting for and reacting pitifully to the headlines or inconveniences. Is the power that you possess so weak that your fragility is on display to the world? Did we not know this world is full of sin? Did we so easily forget that sin is no match against grace?
Let me put it another way: When you find yourself distraught over events in this world, or when you find yourself troubled by the headlines, did you just skip the front page of the paper? Are the troubling headlines that fill this life making you forget The Good News of the Gospel that was in full color on the front page?
The first way we fight against the flesh is to understand that The One who has all the power is our King and our Father and we are co-heirs to the throne with Christ. Our power is not in our words, but His. His kingdom IS and HAS power BECAUSE of His word. We don’t need our words because we have His power.
Love: 1 John 4:18
Love is a powerful force that is often viewed as weak and “girly.” It often gets viewed through the lens of a Nicholas Sparks novel (or movie for those of you that like watching the same movie in a different setting over and over again). Love is a lot more than just the star-crossed lovers who do anything they have to in order to be with one another.
When we look at love through the lens of The Bible, we see love as the great equalizer. It is the single force that can turn an enemy to an ally, and a heart of stone to living and beating. There is no other force on this earth that can transform even the coldest of temperaments to the brightest of joys. This force was what slain your sin on Calvary, and opened your eyes in the darkness. This very force is what took your ledger from a heavy red, to a clean slate that is white as snow.
This is no lovey-dovey, kissy-face emotion you experience, it is the iron forge in which you experience the softening of your calloused heart so that it may be molded to the image of the One who first sought you! This love drives out all fear. It is the great intimidator of all things that would shake you.
When you experience the love of God in your life, retreat is not an option in the face of sin because love is the warning missiles that are fired at the very hint of sin creeping along the borders of your mind. The Lord has given us this force to drive away what haunts us because it’s the only force strong enough to overcome the punishment that may come our way. Stand firm in the solidified foundation of God’s love, and the power of His love will be the merciful blade that pierces the hearts of anyone willing to accept their immediate death or their immediate resurrection. Love is the motivator and it is the reason we are able to stand.
Discipline: 1 Timothy 4:7-8
This may be the most difficult of the three that stand out. This is where faith meets works and the duty of delight kick in. This is where you take up your cross and follow Christ daily. Unmitigated discipline is the name of the game and this is the grindstone of the Christian walk. Is it burdensome? No. This is a grind that sends the smell of sharpened iron to the heavens and is a pleasing aroma to The Lord.
The bible reading. The prayers. The fasting. The serving. The worshiping. The fellowshipping. The studying. The encouraging. All of the other aspects of walking in faith worked out through you in order to battle against the daily temptations around you. The sweet communion with God on a daily basis to show gratitude and humility for how much He has done for you in spite of who you are.
Spiritual disciplines are the training ground that make power and love dangerous—in a good way, of course. This is the preparation for utilizing the strengths God has given by looking to Him to faithfully deliver His mercy to you anew every morning. If you waver on your discipline or self-control, the terrain you may find yourself on may be steeper than you think. When you discipline yourself for the glory of The Lord, the power and love become a reflex instead of a procedure to walk through.
Jesus is Our Example
“What does any of this have to do with hating my job” you may ask. “What does this have to do with not doing things I don’t want to do?”
When Jesus was in the garden at Gethsemane, in his humanity, he desires for the cup of suffering to pass. He audibly said this to The Father. Then, the reflex reacts. His reflexes of knowing who He is and what He came to accomplish kick in and the love He had for you took over simultaneously with the power He possessed knowing He will resurrect for you as he said “but not my will, but Yours.”
You were not placed here for your own selfish desires and wants. Your contentment is not the priority. You were made for something more. We can look at this life we have been given and zero in on the stuff we don’t particularly care for, but God put you in those situations too. He allowed you to have that job so that you could provide for your family and community. He meant for you to glorify Him in your work and remind you that you will work in heaven one day. There will be no floating on the clouds just relaxing all day. You will work in perfect redemption while singing praises to The Lord. This is what it means to keep your mind on things above!
Finding Purpose In Our Work
When you work, think of others. Think about all the people you are helping and all the others you are able to serve because of a steady paycheck and a graceful employer. You may not feel the grace all of the time, but the fact that a sinner like you and I can maintain a professional attitude when in the work place so that we can provide, that is an act of grace alone!
Do not do what you hate. When your heart is focused on The Lord of All you are able to find joy even in the things that seemingly suck the joy from your life. When your eyes are set on the power and love of God, He is able to help you see all the wonderful ways you can glorify Him as you remain disciplined to show up and continue to love and serve others.
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