15. Work is not hard when I work with Jesus.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BE AWARE OF JESUS WHEN YOU ARE WORKING? EXPLAIN.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A GREATER AWARENESS OF JESUS’ PRESENCE IN YOUR WORK? IF THIS IS YOUR DESIRE, HOW DO YOU THINK JESUS FEELS ABOUT YOUR DESIRE?
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT THIS DESIRE IS ACTUALLY JESUS’ DESIRE ALSO? IS IT POSSIBLE HE “PLANTED” THE DESIRE IN YOU? DO YOU SENSE THAT HE IS ALSO WORKING TO MAKE THIS DESIRE A REALITY FOR YOU, AND HIM?
Work often seems hard to us and the word itself suggests this. Work is not play or rest, it is rather the opposite of these. Webster’s definition of work is “sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result”. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work?src=search-dict-box).
Work requires effort and with much effort we become tired. The Creation story describes the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit as “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food” (Genesis 3:17,19) At first glance, it seems that work is a result of our disobedience.
But Dallas Willard says that “work” is not the result of the fall, rather “sweat” is. Willard says that we were made to work, we thrive when we are creative, but it is the stress and sweat that often accompanies work that is the curse of the fall. In describing the Kingdom of God, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
When we live in his Kingdom and include Jesus in our work, our stress becomes less and our work becomes easy. This promise that Jesus makes is difficult to experience and often unrealized in our lives here on earth. It is not natural and not even easy to explain. A couple of thoughts follow. Including Jesus in our work changes our perspective. We are not alone, it is not “up to me,” and we see our work from a different perspective. A Kingdom perspective can change how we view the outcomes of our work. Our work usually involves material things that will not last.
When we make these temporal outcomes our main desire, we lose sight of the Kingdom. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)
We take up our cross when we let go of our attachment to temporal things. We lose our life, our joy, when we try to save up the things that don’t last. But when we let go of those things and value instead, the eternal outcomes of our work, the outcomes that only Jesus can bring about, and when we let him be responsible for what only he can do, we find our life and joy.
What good is it for us to gain all of the temporal things we desire but still have no joy, peace, rest, or love? Besides helping us recalibrate our work values, Jesus’ Spirit can also join us in our work, providing counsel, companionship, and at times, extra strength. Work may require effort, but it doesn’t need to be hard or stressful when we include Jesus in our work.