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Wisdom for Work
If a man is called to be a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause and say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.
Martin Luther King, Jr | |
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The question of bread for myself is a material question, but the question of bread for my neighbor is a spiritual question.
Nikolay Berdyayev | |
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Labor Day Beatitudes by Jan
Since 1882, the first Monday in September has been celebrated as "a day off for working citizens". Traditionally it marks the end of summer. All those years I was teaching in the classroom I would try to sneak in one more short vacation for fun layered with happy anticipation of the first day of school.
The workplace of this generation wears a different face during the 2009 Labor Day. Many citizens will not take the day off; there is no job to take the day off from. Wage slaves will commute to 3rd shift as usual. The perils and the promise of job security gape wider each month.
On our Labor Day day off, let us celebrate the blessings we do enjoy in our work. For the ones who get up every morning with passion and enthusiasm for their work, give thanks for your blessings. Remember, as well, the ones who struggle in their labor. Let us all take time to pray for blessings upon all who work.
Here are some Labor Day Beatitudes, inspired by Psalm 15:
Blessed are they who find their workplace a sanctuary,
may the ladder of success lead up God's holy mountain.
Blessed are they who work honestly,
may they acknowledge truth in the heart.
Blessed are they who speak kindly,
may they silence slander, gossip and calumny.
Blessed are they who empower their co-workers,
may they be suffused with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessed are the humble,
may they apply the principles of servant leadership.
Blessed are they who reverence the Holy,
may they honor clients, customers, employees, employers.
Blessed are they who stand by their word,
may they fulfill their commitment with trust and integrity.
Blessed are they who are good stewards of money,
may they resist waste, usury, theft, bribes, and pilfering.
Blessed are they who toil in heat, cold, rain and snow;
may their strength be sustained season after season.
Blessed are they who work for justice;
may they insure fairness for all.
Blessed are they who are steadfast in spirit,
may they not be shaken by chaos but live in God's
presence to sustain and inspire every working day. |
One of the Least of These
Before firing up the grill this Labor Day, you might want to read something by Charles Dickens.
Dickens reminds us that work, for many, does not mean "career," complete with social status, benefits, and retirement plans. As one character in "The Chimes," exclaims, "Such work, such work! So many hours, so many days, so many long, long nights of hopeless, cheerless, never-ending work ... to scrape together just enough to toil upon, and want upon, and keep alive in us the consciousness of our hard fate!"
As we celebrate our holiday leisure, bear in mind those whose "hopeless, cheerless, never-ending work" benefits us: the seamstress in Bangladesh, or the migrant worker in Florida. May Labor Day be not only a day of rest, but also of renewed commitment to justice for all who labor.
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Many with "good" jobs still find work unrewarding, spiritually and psychologically. We want our lives to make a difference, and when you spend your days manipulating numbers on a computer screen, tightening the same three screws on an assembly line, or ringing up orders at the drive-thru, finding meaning can be hard.
Darby Checketts, a consultant employed by the company I work for, suggests every worker give themselves a new job title, one describing the true value of their work. He tells of an "administrative assistant" in one of his workshops who dubbed herself the "team bureaucracy-buster" - to the applause of her co-workers! The "receptionist" at my office described her job as opening doors, making access easy for clients, potential customers, and new employees.
Step back from your job; take the broad perspective. Are you just tightening screws, or are you assuring the safety of those who use the product? Are you just running a cash register, or are you helping feed hungry people?
What is your "true" job title, expressing the value your work brings to God's world?
All our work has spiritual value, because all our work impacts other lives. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it unto me" (Mt 25:40).
--Bill |
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Sincerely,
Bill Howden & Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries | |
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