Work as Worship
My maternity leave ends soon, and I'm anticipating adding more to my already stretched-thin life with a toddler and infant. I'm overwhelmed. When I look around my house, all I see are the things that aren’t getting done like the cobwebs in the corners, the dust on the fans, and splotches on the floor. Adding meetings, emails, and phone calls seems nearly impossible some days. It's easy for me to see work as a necessary, somewhat unfortunate, reality that’s encroaching on my role as a mother and my very little free time.
I've struggled with the goodness of work before. Nearing college graduation, I dove deep into the theology of work. I had adopted the dichotomy that some things are holy and sacred while others are secular yet necessary. I elevated Bible study, vocational ministry, and service over school work, office jobs, and daily chores. I rushed through the secular so I could get to the sacred. Work, other than vocational ministry, was a necessary evil, or a means to financial provision, or an avenue to share the gospel with my coworkers, but it stopped there. Slowly the categories of secular and sacred blurred into one, and I found glorious freedom and rest in the truth that all work can glorify and honor God—because it’s our hearts, rather than our hands, that determine whether something is done for God’s glory. I got a job at an architecture firm where we designed schools and started living out this theology of work.
Work has intrinsic value to God and can, by itself, be an act of worship and stewardship of the gifts he has given us. God is the first worker,[1] creating the world, and giving Adam and Eve the mandate to work in the garden before sin entered the world.[2] Just like we reflect his character when we act justly or love another, we reflect his character as we work. Work is also a means of participating with God, helping to fulfill the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth and subduing it.[3] Work can honor God and bless our neighbor in whatever role it might take. Paul, who was himself a tentmaker as well as an evangelist, said it well in his epistle to the Colossians: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ'' (Col. 3:23–25).
A few years into working out this theology of work, I was not only a project manager, but also anticipating the birth of our first son. It was financially wise to keep working once he was born, and given how much I enjoyed my job, I arranged to work part-time after his birth.
The dichotomy I had struggled with in college crept in again once he was born but shifted from my office work to the work I found myself doing as a mom. Some things in motherhood feel spiritually significant, like the moments spent reading Bible stories or talking through heart issues. Other things, like constantly feeding, cleaning and folding laundry, quickly become monotonous and feel less worthwhile. Yet, in the work of motherhood, we must constantly remind ourselves that there is no sacred and secular dividing up days and tasks. The smallest task does matter, whether washing hands or instructing again for the thousandth time. Whatever I do (changing diapers or instructing hearts) let me work heartily for the Lord and not for men.
Not only is the work of mothering good and without divide, so is our other work, whether a type of ministry, volunteering, or office work. We can easily be tempted to not just order our tasks into sacred and secular buckets, but our roles and responsibilities as well. We may pit mothering against working, or ministry against volunteering in our community. But as Paul taught, all of our work can be done as service to the Lord. It takes wisdom, prayer, and input from godly people to help us prioritize our responsibilities through various seasons.
And so I go back through my college notes, reminded, again, that work is not a necessary evil, or merely a means to financial provision for my family. It has intrinsic value to God and can, by itself, be an act of worship and stewardship of the gifts he has given me. God created us to work and work is good. If work is good, reflecting God’s character, blessing others, and stewarding what he has given us, then we want to work with joy and thanksgiving rather than resentment and frantic rushing. And if work, tasks, roles, and responsibilities are not divided into sacred and secular categories, then all of them can be done with thanksgiving and joy. Whatever I do (answering emails or redlining drawings) let me work heartily for the Lord and not for men.
Someday, my children will leave and they will inevitably have to take care of themselves, run a household, do chores, and make a living. In fact, most of their life will be work. I want to be so rooted in the goodness of God and the work he has given me, that they have an example of a mama who worked with joy and thankfulness for God’s glory in whatever she was doing.
So, whether we’re washing dishes, folding laundry, playing on the floor, reading a book, drafting emails, or leaving for the day to head to the office, we can honor God and bless our neighbor. Whatever I do (mothering or project managing) let me work heartily for the Lord and not for men.
[1] Genesis 1:1
[2] Genesis 2:15
[3] Genesis 1:28
