A God Who Bonds Through Co-operation: The Value of a Shared Task

Today, I'd like to submit to you the controversial idea that the primary value of work is not the work in and of itself. The mindset you have towards the purpose of a work is really what determines the value of the work. In other words, the value of work is determined by the spirit you are partnering with in your labor.

Far too often today, we determine the value of work based on, not only its genre or title, but also the passion with which it is carried out. We determine the worth of a given work in our lives based on the excellence we strive for in doing it. We say things like, "Any job is a God-job if you give it your all!" and, "All work is valuable if you're giving it your best!" and, "A job well-done is time well-spent!"  While striving for excellence in your work can build your own personal character and grow your own personal success, that's not the primary factor which makes work valuable. Achievement is not the ultimate purpose of work. Success is not the supreme design which God had in mind when creating work.

So what is it? What exactly is it that makes work valuable?

Allow me to answer that question with a question. Have you ever wondered why the New Testament talks so much about doing noble things to grow the kingdom of God? I mean, an omnipotent God is completely capable of advancing His own Kingdom, don't you think? Why does He constantly encourage us to do it? You might think that He just wishes to develop our character by giving us work to do. However, I think the issue is much more beautiful and profound than that.

Throughout the entire New Testament, we are given an illustration of a God who wishes to co-labor with His children. Colossians 3:17 (NIV) says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Many times I think we take this verse and assume that is means our work should be done with excellence, when in reality, the heart of God is rather for us to simply work with Him. The words translated "in the name" in this passage are en onomati. En onomati can be literally translated "...with the name (or character)..." And according to Strong's Concordance, in Hebrew culture, "a name is inseparable from the person to whom it belongs, i.e. it is something of his essence." In other words, this verse in Colossians, so often used to promote striving for excellence, can also mean that we are to do whatever we do with the name (or character) of Jesus.

Again, we see this principle illustrated in 1st Corinthians 3:9 (ESV): "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." The KJV states, "...we are labourers together with God..." This passage of scripture also indicates a duality to the work we do on this Earth; a co-operation between us and our Creator. In Genesis, God creates the animals, yes. But then what does He do? He tells Adam to name them.

My point is that we often adopt the idea that God wishes for us to work for Him, when in reality His Heart yearns to work with us. 

You see, God is not a fan of work for the sake of work. He's a fan of a mutually-shared project; a co-laboring system. He's an advocate of the shared task which results in the bonding of two souls; not the job which results in the largest material result. If God was interested in efficiency more than He was interested in bonding with another soul, He wouldn't have made humans the way He did. As pointed out by one of my favorite authors/speakers, humans are extremely inefficient creatures. We spend 1/3 of our lives asleep, completely unproductive. We tire, we require large amounts of food in order to operate, we require another in order to reproduce, we come into the world entirely helpless, we expel loads of waste, and we wear out as we age. My point is that, in creating us, if God was aiming for the most productive, efficient creature in the universe, He missed. (Bethke, To Hell with the Hustle).

...And God doesn't miss. 

So what does this tell us? It tells us that God had something else in mind other than industrialism and productivity when He created the human race and invited us to work with Him.

I would like to suggest to you that what He had in mind was creating an outlet, a catalyst, that would spark the connection between two individuals and encourage the process of bonding. The idea He came up with, was work (AKA the shared task).

Work is valuable because it is an extraordinary way for us to bond with both God and others.

Our problem is when we begin pursuing the byproduct of our work more than the original purpose of it; when we begin valuing work for the sake of work and not work for the sake of bonding. Am I saying that the byproducts and material rewards of hard work are bad? Absolutely not. I'm simply saying that they should not be our Telos.


Ecclesiastes 4:4-12 says:

"I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind...Again, I saw futility under the sun. There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up! Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

The "good return" for our labor in both the advancement of the Kingdom of God and our everyday occupations, should be to bond with our Maker and others through mutual submission and service. If we begin to value work foremostly for the excellence we achieve or the return-on-investment we strive for, we have undermined the most profound, beautiful, original purpose of work. I'll end with a quote from To Hell with the Hustle:

"You are becoming someone and something. You are being formed; you are an image that is reflecting something. But we need to resist reflecting and participating in the hustle that turns us into something we aren't. Why? Because I want to be more than just an efficient, driven, ambitious, goal-oriented, achievement-based, human. When I envision that person in the future, I don't see a loving human presence; I see a machine. And that's what most of us are pointing your Telos towards without actually realizing it."

Sources:

1. To Hell with the Hustle, Jefferson Bethke
2. Strong's Concordance
3. Ecclesiastes
4. Colossians
5. 1st Corinthians