I’m sure we’ve all heard people complain about their jobs, both directly (I hate my job) and indirectly (Thank God it’s Friday). But should Christians work at jobs they hate so much that they’d rather not do them? On the one hand, the Bible says that we were created for work (Genesis 2). On the other hand, It says that our work would be unpleasant after Adam’s sin (Genesis 3). Does happiness in your work matter? Are happy people more productive? Is there a job out there for everyone which he can be happy doing?
Bible References: Gen 2:5, Gen 2:15, Gen 3:17-19, 1 Chron 29:14-16, Prov 6:6-11, Prov 10:4-5, Prov 12:27, Prov 18:9, Prov 19:15, Prov 20:4, Prov 21:25, Prov 24:30-34, Prov 31:27, Matt. 6:19-34, Luke 16:9-15, Eph 6:5-8, Col 3:22-24, 1 Thess 4:9-11, 1 Thess 5:12-13, 2 Thess 3:7-12, 1 Tim 5:3-15, 1 Tim 5:18, 1 Tim 6:6-11, 1 Tim 6:17-19
Post-Show Thoughts: If God created you for a purpose and your primary task is to glorify Him by accomplishing it, it's hard to see how this would be done best by working in a job you hate. Though there are exceptions, in America in 2008, any Christian should be able to find a way to make a living doing what God built you to do, which is indicated by the fact that you enjoy doing it. The reasl problem for most people is that they either don't know what to look for in a job or else don't know how to recognize it once they have one. The first, most important issue is whether you really believe in the thing your company produces. If not, there is no way to be fully happy helping it be made. If you do, then the next step is finding a company which makes it that you admire or at least can endure. Third, find a job suited to your talents that you believe is connected with the end result of doing whatever that company does. Money, location, hours, coworkers, etc. are all secondary to these considerations. Making money the key determinant of occupation is just a sloppy way of saying that you are serving someone else's values for the sake of money rather than the ones God put in you. It's hard to differentiate between this and slavery, except that at least slaves usually have no options whatsoever. This sounds harsh, I know, but my goal is to get people out of jobs they hate and into jobs they can be enthusiastic about because it will make you happier, more prosperous, and more pleasing to the God who gave you your talents for a reason.
Links on feelings towards your job:
Why it's wrong for a Christian to hate their jobs by Blogspot.com
Debate: Do you hate your job? by Helium.com
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