There are inevitably going to be days or even seasons of our lives that feel monotonous. Where getting out of bed in the morning is the last thing you want to do, but inevitably you have to. We live in a culture that likes to embrace the dread of “Sunday scaries” which, whether we realize it or not, reinforces the feeling of dismay we can feel before starting a new work week. I’m not here to condemn these thoughts and feelings because they are natural and happen to all of us. What I submit to you today is, I believe God wants better for us.
In Proverbs it says, “the diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by their work” (Message version). We could do a deep dive into work ethics and why we should work hard, but maybe that’s not for today. I want to focus on the fact that we can find freedom in our work because the verse in Proverb is clearly showing it’s possible, but to unlock this, we need to understand what it means to be diligent and how we can apply it to our day to day.
The Oxford dictionary defines diligence as “having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties”. So, in other words, if we care and want to do well in our jobs (conscientiously) we can find freedom in the workday! For many of us, I believe wanting to do well and serving others is accessible, because many of our jobs exist to help others, whether it’s clients, students, patients or audience.
This sense of caring and striving to do good is the opposite of the spirit of laziness, which is unwilling to uncover potential. It makes sense that the proverb drives its point home by stating that by being unwilling and forced to work (because bills gotta be paid!) we can feel oppressed. The part that resonates though, is that the difference isn’t in the work that is done, but the heart of the person working. Either way, the job has to get done, but we get to choose how it will affect us by the posture of our hearts!
I find this so inspiring! It opens the door for all of us because it can apply to any job, no matter how boring it may seem, we can still choose a heart posture to find freedom. We can think about it like this, if we care about what we do, our careers start to feel less like a burden, and more of a magnificent catalyst for carrying out our purpose in the world. Because God gave you your unique gifts and talents to be in the job you are at, and to reach the people He wants you to reach! And that is a blessing and a gift we should want to steward well. A practical way I have implemented a heart aimed at caring about what I do and start to unlock the mindset of “getting to work” rather than it being a requirement is through prayer and gratitude.
Each morning whether you walk to work, ride the bus, drive or walk to your home office, take a moment to pray. It truly centers us and our hearts when we are reminded that God has given us the place and position though which he provides for us, and He will sustain us. By starting each day with giving thanks, you might just find that your heart starts to change and find more reasons each day why the place you are at is a gift, and those around you are a gift. There will be times we don’t want to pray too, and that’s when I believe we need to the most, because the enemy wants to keep God out of our jobs, and when we are in the habit of welcoming Christ into our daily lives, our perspectives shift, and we start to walk out our days in freedom.
Because wouldn’t our lives be better if Mondays felt less like the start of an uphill climb and more like the start to an unlimited number of ways in which we can show God’s love? I believe this is what God wants for us as we carry out our daily work! Together, we can absolutely do this! So go, be free and may your inner light shine bright with each Monday we get to go to work.
Her Office Closet 