Inbox Inspiration: Work: October 24, 2018

October 24, 2018

Work 

Dear Friends,
Most of us work very hard and have a strong work ethic.
Sometimes it is helpful to recall the value and place of work in our lives.
The Book of Genesis speaks of God’s “work”in the act of creation.
At each step, it tells us: “God saw how good… was”the product of his work.
Some of us are blessed with a job that we really like.
We enjoy doing what we do, and we get a lot of satisfaction from it.
Some of us don’t like our work.
We simply have to do it in order to make a living.
For all of us, whether we like or dislike our job, I have one thought.
Let’s bring God with us to our work.
Let’s try to do it the best we can.
Let’s invest ourselves into it.
Let’s try to be proud of the quality of what we do.
Also, let’s be Christ to those with whom and for whom we work.
If we do this, to paraphrase Genesis, we will look upon what we have done and see that it is good.
And beyond that, what we have done will shape us and make us good.
Our work will form us more and more into the image and likeness of God.
Little by little, we will become like our Creator.

“In order to explain the meaning of work, we have to first ask ourselves about the purpose of work. What is its primary purpose? Making money? No. Making money is a secondary outcome of our work. The primary purpose of work is to help us become the-best-version-of-ourselves. When you work hard, pay attention to the details of your work, and do a good job, you grow in a number of virtues, including patience, diligence, perseverance, and integrity. Every time you grow in virtue, you become a-better-version-of-yourself.”
From Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly. (1973-. Australian. Catholic. Founder of Dynamic Catholic. Author and motivational speaker.)

Gracious God, grant us fulfillment in our work and renewal in our rest, as we follow the example of Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner