Working Our Garden

I am passionate about faith, life, and work.

Throughout my journey, God has provided me with different work. While I did not always see it at the time, God was at work, weaving His plan in my life. Work is an important concept, discussed often in the Bible.

Early in Genesis, Scripture reveals work as part of the Lord’s created order in the World. Work is not a result of the Fall, for the concept of tending the garden and cultivating the Earth is mentioned in advance of the Fall in Genesis, Chapter 2.

Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground (NIV).

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (ESV).

We are called to do the work which the Lord has provided for us and designed us to do. We are to do it for His glory, with all enthusiasm and excellence. All work doesn’t look the same. All work doesn’t reward or compensate equally. But Scripture tells us that the result of our work here will ultimately perish. It is not the results of our labors that we should be focused on, but rather the attitude of our hearts in doing the work the Lord has given us to do in whatever season we are doing it.

Scripture says we are to work “unto the Lord”, not solely for the sake of impressing or pleasing people. Whether we are a leader or a follower, an employer or an employee, we are each accountable for the work we are entrusted with stewarding. We must ask ourselves “how am I tending the garden today?” and “for whom am I tending it?”.

In the 21^st century, thanks to rapid advancements in technology, the way we work is changing. To paraphrase the Oldsmobile commercial, “This isn’t your Daddy’s work.” While the way we work and how we work have changed so much that it doesn’t resemble what work was like in our father’s generation, we should keep our hearts and minds attuned to the truth that whatever work we are doing, we are doing “our Father’s work”.

A good friend used to remind me that in whatever we are doing today we can point people to Jesus or push them away. Let the work of your hands and feet shine the light of the Gospel unto those you meet through the work you are doing today.

As a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science degree in Managerial Science, I have the privilege of studying work. In the last year, I have been able to learn a great deal through my study of how we work, why we work, when we work, and where we work. I hope that I can apply what I am learning as I continue my journey of life and faith.