My Theology Of Work

Over the past ten weeks, I have gained much new knowledge in regards to faith and vocation. I will look back at the new knowledge that I have gained and ask myself how has my view of work and vocation been impacted by the studies in this course, what is my “theology of work”, what are my hopes for my vocation and career, what might redeemed work look like for me as I progress through my studies and possibly enter the legal profession or engage my legal training in other areas of life and work, how will I discern my vocational calling (whether in the legal profession or elsewhere) as I continue in life or help others in discerning their vocational callings, what tools will I use and what questions will I ask, and how would I describe a “successful”
career according to my understanding of Scripture?

My view of work has been refined since the beginning of this course of this course. Without this course, as J.R.R. Tolkien put it in his book Leaf by Niggle, “Things might have been different, but they could not have been better.” The improper views that I have had in regards to work have separated me from being able to receive God’s plan for work as a gift and has been seen as a way that each man fulfills his life’s purpose being more of a duty than a gift.
With this new mindset, however, work is seen less of as a struggle which leads in earthly gains and more of a gift from God. The change of mindset to work changed my outlook of work.

My ‘theology of work’ consists of two branches, one branch being the natural, or seen result of work, and the other being the blessing revealed by God in his holy scriptures. The natural view of work is that work is the means by which an individual gains funds to live his life, pursue his happiness, and in the end acquire nothing more than vanity. Believing work is no more than this will cause one to say with Solomon in his first chapters of Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh… Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.” This branch shows
the result of work as vain. Looking at the latter branch, however, as Timothy Keller’s wrote in his book Every Good Endeavor, “In short, work -and lot of it is an indispensable component in a meaningful life. It is a supreme gift from God and of the main things that gives our lives purpose. But it must play its proper role, subservient to God.” The only purpose for work is not monetary gain. Work in fact has a greater purpose. One who works receives the opportunity to benefit from one of the ‘supreme gifts from God’. However, after the fall of man work too was affected by the curse. Genesis 3 records, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground…” Work remained a gift of God but its joy was exchanged for pain. Sadly this is not the only curse of work, as Timothy Keller’s wrote in his book Every Good Endeavor, “One of the reasons work is both fruitless and pointless is the powerful inclination of the human heart to make work, and its attendant benefits, the main basis of one’s meaning and identity. When this happens, work is no longer a way to create and bring out the wonders of the created order, as Calvin would say, or to be an instrument of God's providence, serving the basic need of our neighbor, as Luther would say. Instead it becomes a way to distinguish myself from my neighbor, to show the world and prove to myself that I’m special. It is a way to accumulate power and security over my destiny.” In Ecclesiastes 12:14, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Scripture states, “Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.” The scriptures say this so that our work can be redeemed in our lives so that we will not live to work but work to live. We would work as a means of glorifying God and gaining monetary funds rather than living to ‘distinguish myself’ and ‘prove to myself that I am special’, and in the end denying the Lord. The gospel has greatly impacts work and vocation. As Miroslav Volf stated in his address in regards to work, God at Work, “the work of each one of us is then a small contribution to the grand tapestry of life, which God is weaving as God created the world, is redeeming the world, and will consummate the world” Since I have found Christ, rather than distinguishing myself through my work, I ought to be distinguishing myself as a servant and follower of Christ not only in my workplace but also through my whole life in hopes to contribute to the grand tapestry of life.

In God at Work, Miroslav Volf stated, “To succeed in work means to contribute through our work to some good, whether that be keeping my body and soul together, providing for my family, or contribut-ing to a larger common good. If no good is created, I have not succeeded.” In my own vocation and career, I hope to only to do my best to propagate the gospel and stand for truth, God, and principles of the law which made America a shining city on a hill, creating good. Work for me would be redeemed if my work can redeem others from the bondage of sin and oppression of this world. If my work leads others to Christ, I count my work as redeemed. If my work defends the unborn and those who are being stripped of their right, I count my work redeemed. This ought to be my work, my duty, as a Christian paralegal.

As I discern my vocational calling, I would remember was Parker J.
Palmer said in his book, Let Your Life Speak, “Each time a door closes, the rest of the world opens up.” A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. Although I plan my way as I believe I know what my vocational calling is, the Lord directs my steps. God may close a small world to perhaps allow me to see the whole world open up with the opportunity to contribute to the ‘grand tapestry of life’. However, before I walk up to to the first door in the road I must first pray and seek God’s word for guidance. As William Messenger and Gordon Preece write in their book Calling a Biblical Perspective, “The work we do is important to God. It makes sense to ask what work God wants us to do.” Then, I must ask myself does this job require me to commit act will lead to a violation of God’s laws. As William Messenger and Gordon Preece also write in their book Calling a Biblical Perspective, “The only jobs that do not have equal status in God’s eyes are those that require work forbidden by the Bible or are incompatible with its values. For example, jobs requiring murder, adultery, stealing, false witness or greed (Exodus 20:13-17), usu-ry (Leviticus 25:26), damage to health (Matthew 10:8), or harm to the environment (Genesis 2:15) are illegitimate in God’s sight.” If taking that job will not put me in violation of God’s laws, then I would walk up to the door and see if it is God’s perfect plan for my
life to accept that job.

A successful career is not a career that brings the most earthly gain but will bring the most heavenly gain, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. A successful carrier must glorify God first. If one follows the paths of God, God promises in Psalms 32:8, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Proverbs 16: 3 also promises, “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” A successful career is a career that produces more rewards in heaven than on earth, and in such a career God will instruct me and establish me if I commit my works unto the Lord. In closing, as Parker J. Palmer wrote in his book, Let your Life Speak, “The door that closed kept us from entering a room, but what now lies before us is the rest of reality.” The wrong philosophy of work perhaps would have kept me from being able to confidently open the door closed for a time. However, when the the door is opened the reality and beauty of work comes into existents. As J. R. R. Tolkien wrote in his book Leaf by Niggle, “Before him stood the Tree, his Tree, finished. If you could say that of a Tree that was alive, its leaves opening, its branches growing and bending in the wind that Niggle had so often felt or guessed, and had so often failed to catch. He gazed at the Tree, and slowly he lifted his arms and opened them wide.
"It's a gift!" he said. He was referring to his art, and also to the result; but he was using the word quite literally.
He went on looking at the Tree. All the leaves he had ever laboured at were there, as he had imagined them rather than as he had made them; and there were others that had only budded in his mind, and many that might have budded, if only. he had had time. Nothing was written on them, they were just exquisite leaves, yet they were dated as clear as a calendar. Some of the most beautiful-and the most characteristic, the most perfect examples of the Niggle style-were seen to have been produced in collaboration with Mr. Parish: there was no other way of putting it.
The birds were building in the Tree. Astonishing birds: how they sang! They were mating, hatching, growing wings, and flying away singing into the Forest, even while he looked at them. For now he saw that the Forest was there too, opening out on either side, and marching away into the distance.” For a time perhaps, I may not see the benefit of entering that door, but when I realize the reality of how my work & vocation caused good to this world, I would know for sure that work is a gift from God.