A “Working” Definition
“If someone gave you $5 million, would you go to work tomorrow?”
What is a job?
The average full time working person will spend more than 90,000 hours on the job in their lifetime. This begs the question, “How many hours have you worked so far in your life?” Perhaps more importantly, how do you account for the good that this work has created for yourself, your family and for the larger community?
Define “good” any way that you like, the core idea is that we each have an innate need to be and do something significant, not simply be successful.
Many people feel that a job is simply a means to an end or just another paycheck. As the philosopher Homer stated, “The god’s hated man and condemned him to labor.”
This view is void of any sense of purpose or opportunity. We all have encountered the hollow-eyed masses that trudge throughout their workday, waiting for quitting time. The so called “functionaires” who simply occupy space and time in exchange for income.
“Tennessee” Ernie Ford summed up this feeling in his song “Sixteen Tons.”
“You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.Saint Peter, don’t you call me, ’cause I can’t go;
I owe my soul to the company store…”
The attitude of the fictional employee in this song captures the bleak, depressing outlook of millions of workers around the world.
But, how is it that some people are able to break free of this reality? What is it about the way they think or what they do that gives them the inspiration to see the possibilities in each day?
The less you think about the number of hours you work or the rate of pay, and the more you focus on the purpose of your work, the title of “job” begins to seem inadequate.
I believe an enhanced concept of work is captured in the word vocation.
Vocation (noun)
- a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling.
- a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.
- a divine call to God’s service or to the Christian life.
- a function or station in life to which one is called by God: the religious vocation; the vocation of marriage.
The word vocation was initially used in religious terms, specifically within the Catholic church, as God’s calling into a life of full-time ministry. This definition did not include “secular” or “non-sacred” work outside the Church.
However, since the nineteenth century, and especially since Vatican II, Catholic teaching has increasingly emphasized the role of the laity in service to neighbor.
During the reformation, beginning in 1517, Martin Luther proposed the concept that God ordains all work. Protestants had re-conceptualized work as a duty in the world for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole.
Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist, wrote that capitalism evolved when the Protestant (particularly Calvinist) ethic influenced large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and engaging in trade and the accumulation of wealth for investment.
In other words, the Protestant ethic was a force behind an unplanned and uncoordinated mass action that led to the development of capitalism.
This Protestant work ethic, sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a Calvinist value emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a person’s calling as a sign of personal salvation.
Key elements of this work ethic include:
- All honest occupations are sacred because, if done well, they honor God and become worship to Him. Even the most common, menial jobs can be a means of serving God and receiving His blessing.
- God calls a Christian to an occupation or state so that he or she can express love to neighbors through service. Whatever the job, the worker is a steward serving God. God’s calling is personal. Contentment and pleasure in the work is part of God’s plan.
- The appropriate motives for work are first to glorify God, then serve one’s neighbor. God might, or might not, choose to reward one financially. It is up to Him.
- Work should be in balance. Idleness dishonors God and diligence praises Him but work is not all of life. All things should be in balance. One’s calling should not become an idol. Overwork does not glorify God.
The satisfaction of this kind of work is to be distinguished from superficial pleasures or a life of ease, because a vocation can call a person to challenging sacrifices.
With these concepts serving as both a history and a foundation for understanding the term vocation, I believe a fundamental shift must take place in our thinking and approach to work.
In light of these thoughts, how would you answer the following questions?
- What types of work matter?
- Does your particular type of work matter? If so, to whom does it matter? If not, why?
- What motivates you in your work?
- If work matters, is it possible to work too much?
Are you one of those for whom a job is a means to an end? To overcome this limiting view, consider how you can approach your work as vocation. While the work may appear simply to be another “job," it is experienced as a life spent for the good of others, rooted in deep commitments, producing a satisfaction and joy even in the mundane aspects of daily work.
The way you answer my very first question will be a clear indicator if you have a job or vocation.
Being the man behind the dream, Chad is founder and President of Cre8tive Group. His background in international video production keeps him grounded as he steers the company and maintains a cohesive team. Chad also writes at his blog, Marketing for Good.