FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
My Work is Part of My Worship
This week at Forge, we were in Ephesians 6:5–9.
It is one of those passages that can make you stop and think. Paul talks about servants and masters, and while the subject of work itself is not difficult to understand, the word slave can make us uncomfortable, and for good reason.
But as I listened, my mind wandered back to my own working years. I have had some really good bosses. I have also had a few I thought might actually be the devil himself.
I suspect I am not alone.
There were days when I loved going to work and days when I couldn’t wait to leave. There were bosses who encouraged me and bosses who frustrated me. There were seasons when I felt appreciated and seasons when I wondered if anyone even noticed what I was doing. But through all those years, there was something that helped me keep the right perspective – It was a little sign my mom gave me. It said…
MY WORK IS PART OF MY WORSHIP.
That little sign sat on my desk for nearly 40 years. I saw it when things were going well. I saw it when things were going terribly. I saw it when I liked my boss and when I didn’t. And over time, those seven words became more than words on a piece of wood. They became a reminder. My ultimate boss wasn’t the person sitting in the corner office. It was Jesus.
That changed the way I looked at my work.
If I was working for Jesus, then even the ordinary things mattered. The tedious things mattered. The frustrating things mattered. The things nobody noticed mattered. My job wasn’t simply a way to earn a paycheck. It was an opportunity to honor Jesus.
Now, was I perfect at that? Not in the least. There were plenty of days when my attitude didn’t exactly scream worship. There were times I complained, became frustrated, lost my patience, or cared more about what people thought of me than what Jesus thought of me.
But that little sign kept calling me back. And then something unexpected happened. Over the years, hundreds of people asked me about it.
“What does that mean?”
“Why do you have that on your desk?”
“Is that a Bible verse?”
And every time someone asked, I had an open door. I could tell them. I could tell them that I wasn’t ultimately working for my company, my boss, my customers, or even myself. I was working for Jesus. And suddenly, a little sign my mom gave me became a ministry.
That’s what I think Paul is getting at in Ephesians 6. Our work isn’t ultimately about the person who signs our paycheck or the person who sits above us on the organizational chart. Whatever work God has given us, we have an opportunity to do it as people who belong to Christ. So maybe tomorrow morning, before you walk through the front door of your workplace, take a moment and remember: My work is part of my worship.
Your boss may not deserve your respect.
Your job may not deserve your enthusiasm.
Your company may not deserve your loyalty.
But Jesus deserves your faithfulness because ultimately, you’re not just going to work…
You’re going to work for Him.
– Joe Bouch
