Do you enjoy your job? Do you look forward to going to it every morning? Are you a TGIF type of person or a TGIM (Thank God it’s Monday) type of person?
I meet a lot of people who endure their job rather than enjoying it. Some of these same people believe there must be a job out there that doesn’t feel like work. They’ve heard the old maxim, “Find something you love to do and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
I do love my job, but there are days it feels like work.
I’ll even go one further…I’ve never met someone who had an easy job.
The belief that there is a job out there that’s easy and doesn’t feel like work from time to time is a myth. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, instead I want you to be realistic about what a job can and can’t provide.
I think the desire for a 4-hour work week has left a generation of people living in their parent’s basements or jumping from career to career in hopes of finding something that provides meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.
That’s a lot to ask of a job! If you’re looking for a job to provide your identity, your sense of worth, and your life’s purpose on top of providing for your family you are setting yourself up for massive disillusionment.
You don’t find those things from your work, you bring them to your work. You don’t find your purpose in your work, instead you bring your purpose to your work.
If not, what happens if you lose your job? What happens when you retire? Do you lose your sense of worth, meaning, and purpose? Some people do…because they never learned it was something they brought with them.
If you hate your job…I want to encourage you to look at it differently. I want you to look at it first as God’s way of providing for your family.
For many of us it’s why we get out of bed every morning is because we see the face of our son or daughter. It’s not the only reason, but there is tremendous honor in doing that even if you don’t have your “dream” job.
When people talk about finding meaning in their work, I think they forget about the very base level of food and shelter. Most of us have so much more than the basics.
Have you ever stopped and thanked God for your company? Have you ever thanked God for your job that provides more than just the basics? We like to complain about it, but if you take an honest look around…your job has provided some great things for your family.
When you’ve spoken with enough people, like I have, who were out of work and would give anything to have a job (doing anything) just so they could provide for their family…being grateful isn’t hard. They clearly understand the deep honor that comes from providing for those you love.
My grandmother passed away this summer and I recently was given a couple of boxes of her things. As I sorted through the boxes one thing instantly jumped out at me. It’s one of the items I treasure most of the things I was given. It was her name tag from where she worked in the bakery at Kroger.
I have vivid memories of going to see her with my parents in the grocery store. She would always give me a cookie or a cupcake from the display case.
My grandmother loved to bake, but I doubt seriously she found her purpose or sense of worth from Kroger. She did what was necessary to provide for her family during that season of life. And she did it with a smile on her face.
I keep her name badge on my night stand. On those chilly mornings when I don’t want to crawl out of bed and go to the office. When I feel exhausted and there is no way it can possibly be morning already…I see her name badge. I’m reminded of the honor in work. I’m reminded of a legacy of love. I’m reminded that millions of people get up every day and go to a job they may not love but they do it out of a great sense of love.
Maybe we should change the maxim to “Find someone you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
(Think Jacob working 7 years for Rachel. Genesis 29:20)
What would happen if you wrote your boss a thank you note for the opportunity to provide for your family? What would happen to your career if you brought your purpose and value to your company everyday?
Imagine going to work with a new sense of gratitude. Imagine you didn’t need your work to provide meaning, value, and purpose to your life, because you already had those things figured out.
Imagine creating a legacy of honor for your grandchildren.
The myth of the perfect job will keep you jumping around always destabilizing those you love. Find a job you enjoy, be grateful for it, and make it better with the meaning and purpose you bring with you everyday.
