What is work?

Work immediately conjures up feelings of labour, dread and strife but does it have to be this way? Is work purely a means to an end or can work hold more purpose in it's definition?

If we look at work from a biblical perspective, we see in Genesis that it is only by the sweat of our brow that we will eat of the cursed ground we live on which is a pretty clear picture that work is always going to require energy and a certain amount of hard slog. A few chapters on in the good book however, we read in Ecclesiastes that it is good and proper for man to eat and drink and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun in the few days of life that God has given to him - because this is his lot. Moreover, when God enables a man to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift from God. It is then that he will seldom reflect on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. So... although work is going to be toilsome and it is clearly our lot, i.e. a man must work to eat. It is possible to find satisfaction and happiness in our work and gladness of heart while performing it. Colossians tells us that whatever we do, we must do as if doing it for God and not for man. If we follow this precept, we can but only do the best job we know how to do... what more can a man do than his best?

As with everything, it boils down to our personal perception of what work is. If we accept work as our lot and as a part of our life, we will find something that has meaning to us. It is not simply a means to an end and it is not the financial reward that should motivate us at the end of the day. If we are passionate about what we do, we will find satisfaction in our work and it stands to reason that we will do the work well, and the more effective we are at our work, the more satisfaction we will find in our work. It stands to reason that work with a purpose beyond ourselves is work worth doing. There is however a new perception that we must all adopt. Our work not only has a purpose in itself, a purpose beyond ourselves, but our work has a purpose in our own lives. There will always be those days where our work is not as satisfactory as we would like it to be... if at all. In the words of Oswald Chambers, this purpose is called "Drudgery". "Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work." When we experience drudgery, our true spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. It is one of the finest tests to determine the genuiness of our character. When we face drudgery, how do we respond? What is our first innitiative against it? It is when we face drudgery that we must act as if there were no God at all. It is when we arise from the drudgery, that we find that God is right there with us, it is when we prove our character to be one that persists and perseveres despite the circumstances, it is when we act in obedience despite feeling alone and unfulfilled in our work that we suddenly recognise His presence in our work and the purpose we both serve and experience through our toil. "If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed."

The short of the long of it, is that God can transform any work... even the menial, hard, tiresome and dirty work into work that is satisfactory and fulfilling. How are you going to respond to drudgery next time your work is not absolutely ideal?

Check out http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php?month=02&day=19&year=07 for the article on drudgery. 19th Feb 2007.

Integrity challenged!

I was recently sitting in a service listening to a sermon titled "Living with Integrity". It was a fantastic sermon comparing us with the Titanic. If our integrity is compromised just as the integrity of the Titanic was compromised, we will sink. A definition was presented for integrity as "The quality or state of being complete or undivided or incorruptible". One thing that was bothering me constantly however, was, "How do we compete in a corrupt world within our work place for example, with people who don't have that level of integrity?" Let me explain myself using an example... I work as a freelance cameraman/ director in the television industry where you're only as good as your last job. The problem is, unless you land that first job, how do you prove that you're capable? And some times, to land that first job, a "little white lie" (we all know a lie is a lie), painting a better picture of your potential is acceptable... in "the world" that is. If I'm not going to compromise my integrity and tell the absolute truth, chances are, my competition is going to get the job. My question as a result is, where does integrity leave me then?

There was recently a film on the Cinema Nouveau Circuit called "Three Dollars". It is a critical analysis of the greed and corruption that is challenging traditional society. A chemical engineer going by the name Eddie (David Wenham) is testing soil for contamination as part of an environmental impact assessment. When the company tries to bury his honest assessment of severe contamination to save money on the project, Eddie, a man with high integrity blows the whistle on their attempts. When he leaks the information to the press, his reward for having integrity is getting fired and finding himself unemployed with only three dollars to his name. With a wife and a six year old daughter as his responsibilty, the position he finds himself in, destitute and desperate, is amplified dramatically. The film goes on to deal with the question I asked earlier, "How do we compete in a corrupt world, against people who have no integrity?" It deals with his gruelling task to make a new start without denying his honest, generous nature or compromising his integrity. A good man is tested in all areas of his life, tested in his relationship with his wife and daughter; tested in his financial situation, and tested in his morality regarding his work. One question that is addressed is, "Can ordinary people afford to live according to their values?" and "How relevant are those values to the world anyway?" The conclusion, the more corrupt the world becomes, the more instable our lives as moral, Christian human beings with any level of integrity becomes. We will be persecuted in ways we never imagined, we will be tested and sometimes, we may fall but that is where we call on the grace and strength of God, grace to forgive us where we fall and strength to maintain our integrity so that we do not sink.

The ultimate positive outcome, as with all trials, is only the strengthening of our character to remove us one more notch from the world's lack of moral fibre, making us all the more vulnerable and noticeable. And increasing our faith in the Lord's provision all the more.

Let me introduce myself...

Let me start by saying, I have discovered that I'm not much good at updating blogs. The bonus of course is that there will never be any irrelevant, ghastly drivle about my day unless I had a profound experience that I feel would benefit someone out there in this vast cyberspace.

What keeps me ticking day to day? Well, I am a Director of Photography amongst other things in the television industry. However, not even a dynamic, adventurous and exciting job like this can always get me out of bed in the morning, so I'd have to say that it's my purpose to live every day for our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that keeps me ticking.

As you will see in my profile, my passions in life are visual communications through television and other media, youth ministry and education (particularly within our own country South Africa) and conservation pertaining to both people and environmental issues.

I will attempt to publish some food for thought in this Blog regarding contemporary, relevant and sometimes controversial subjects that I hope will evoke some sort of response from a couple of people.

More than that... is far too boring (or personal)

Unpredictable; Uncontrollable & Irrational

Oswald Chambers wrote, "Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable, uncontrollable and irrational..." This is so true of all of us every day. Why do you think we live lives absolutely disabled by stress and uncertainty? We're submitting to a kind of blindness that makes us less effective and productive than we're meant to be. Wealth, status, and even the question "What is God's will for my life?", blind us to the perfect path that God has mapped out for us. When we allow God to take full control and submit to the leading of His Spirit, regardless of where it may appear to be taking us, we will begin to see a more predictable, controlled and rational future for ourselves and so many we impact along the way.