Working for God

YES, that’s how our attitude should be when we work. We

have to work for God and not just for men. St. Paul said so: “Whatever

you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not

for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance

from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

(Col 3,23-24)

  

            We need to be clear about this, and make the necessary

adjustments or even radical changes in our attitude toward our work.

We should not downgrade the objective dignity of our human labor and

just treat it as if it were just purely a human affair.

  

            Our work, by definition, is also a work of God. And that’s

simply because our whole life itself is always a life with God. At

least, it is supposed to be like that, unless we stray from that basic

truth about ourselves.

  

            The creator cannot be absent from his creatures. In our

case, since we have been endowed by God with the capacity to know and

to love, due to our spiritual faculties of the intellect and the will,

we are supposed to enter into a knowing and loving communion with God,

our Creator.

  

            We are supposed to live our life and do our work fully

knowing that we are working with God and for God. That is just how the

cookie crumbles. That is the ideal way of working.

   

            Our work then becomes our contribution to the abiding

providence of God over all his creation. As the masterpiece of God’s

creation, we are supposed to be working with God and for God,

responsible stewards of his, in a manner of speaking. We are meant to

cooperate with him in his continuing work of taking care of his

creation.

  

            We need to strive to live by this basic truth about

ourselves and spread it as widely as possible. The great majority of

the people all over the world are still ignorant of this truth. And

even for those who in principle know it, do not know how to translate

it into actual reality.

  

            That is why our work often produces a lot of

problems—pride, vanity, greed, envy, discord, to name a few. We are

seeing these problems around. They have become the common effects of

our work nowadays.

  

            When we would be more aware of this truth, even if we

still can commit errors due to our human limitations and the many

temptations around, there would be an effort to make our work a source

of real goodness, of love and compassion, of energy for unity among

ourselves, etc. We would strive for utmost competence and diligence.

   

            We need to start with our own selves in learning and

living by this basic truth of ourselves. Are our motivations and

intentions for working the right one? Do we know how to relate the

temporal and technical aspects of our work to God? Do we realize that

our work is our usual way of giving glory to God? And that it is our

usual way also of sanctifying ourselves and others?

  

            I believe we have to discuss these questions more often

and more openly, if only to make ourselves more literate in this

crucial aspect of our life, especially in our relation to God and to

others.

  

            Slowly but steadily, without letup, let’s help one another

acquire this proper understanding and attitude toward our work and its

corresponding skills. What a world it is going to be if we work in

this way!