Working as unto the Lord

Working as unto the Lord

Your boss asks you to perform another meaningless task;  sweep the floor or extra paperwork or take care of something that is patently "not your job".

What do you do?

Do you quit? Give him the finger?  Do both as you walk out the door and into unemployment?  Do you do what you’re told but grumble all the while, hating your work all the more? This is a tough thing to deal with. I've been there, and some days, I'm still there.

"Ok, smarty-boots, if you're so smart, what should I do?"

Man! Tough crowd. But since you asked... ;)

Colossians 3 tells us to "work as if unto the Lord". But how do you actually do it? Here's a few ideas:

1. "[God] measures our lives by how we love"-- Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God  When Jesus reminded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, the workplace was part of that.  Unfortunately, the workplace also seems to be where we usually forget this command.  Think of everything you do at work as a way to express God’s love to others.
2. "Stop it with the negative waves, Moriarty"-- Oddball, Kelly's Heroes  Man, that's a good quote. You have a choice.  You can pay attention to the parts of your job that you hate-- and there will always be something, because... well... it's a job--  or you can remind yourself of the positive parts.  The catch, though, is that you have to find the positives.  Find what you love about your job, the parts where you're at your best.
3. "To infinity... and beyond!"-- Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story  Find out what they expect from you and then do more.  You will be happier, they will be happier, and things will certainly be easier to deal with. Others will say that you're easier to deal with. Find those niggling little things that most people take for granted, and then do more or better.

If you do nothing else, at the very least try out the first idea.  If you work as a way to show love then you’ll find yourself anticipating going to work.  Ok, maybe you won't be sitting on the edge of your seat, but you will certainly feel better about work than you do now.

In what ways can you express Love to other people through your work?