The cartoon hangs in one of my favorite pizza shops. As I pay for my pizza or hoagies, I can’t help but chuckle. Each week, we ride a wild roller coaster of emotions related to our workplaces. And honestly, who among us doesn’t live for the weekend?
But WHAT IF that could be different? Consider these possibilities:
- What if you gained a renewed attitude and learned to bring meaning to your tasks and appointments, instead of striving to find meaning in your daily work?[1]
- What if this renewed outlook, bringing meaning to your work, could be found in the wondrous reality that we each reflect God’s image? After all, we are God’s co-creators and coworkers, vital leaders and culture makers in the rhythm of our daily tasks (Genesis 1:27-31). (I too quickly forget this, making everything seem way too mundane!)
- What if we could discover fresh passion, deeply entrusting the work of our hands to God’s blessings and favor, doing our very best for his glory, and ultimately trusting him for productive outcomes (Psalm 90:16-17 & John 15:4-5)?
- What if your work-time outlook was infused with the fresh realization that you are daily serving Christ in whatever you do? As a result, you can work at it heartily (Colossians 3:23-24).
- What if you discover a renewed joy in your calling and gifting? In his winsome book, Loving Monday, John D. Beckett asserts:
“We can be called to the arts, to athletics, to government service or to business. If it is God’s call, it is a legitimate and high calling. In other words, you can be an ‘ordained’ plumber! People called to business have many opportunities for service unavailable to those who are specifically focused on ministry vocations.”[2]
What if we were to uncover the start of renewed passion and childlike joy? We might just start loving the opportunities we encounter every Monday through Friday!
For further exploration of how you can better navigate your own emotions about your workweek, check out my new book, co-authored with my mother, Holly Hall-Pletcher. EmotiConversations: Working through Our Deepest Places. It’s available at wipfandstock.com, amazon.com, and other favorite booksellers.
[1]Bonnie Wurzbacher, as quoted by Christian Overman in God’s Pleasure at Work: Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide, p. 16.
[2]John D. Beckett. Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul, p. 96.
johneltonpletcher 
I struggle with this because I do not enjoy my profession (law). I pray all the time and have for years that God would open a door for me to serve Him more directly. And then there are days when I am convicted and realize where I am is because of God and I need to shake off the discontent. And then I spin and think that discontent may be because I’m not doing what I was designed to do–serve Him. But I keep turning back to Colossians 3:
“2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. . . . 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. . . . 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Thanks for sharing this very honest reflection. You’re not alone in this struggle. Your very intentional, personal perspective shift, via Colossians 3, is spot-on! I pray you are strengthened to continue seeing those ways in which you are serving Christ and others in your daily profession. It honestly sounds like you are having a bigger impact in your law ministry than you could even imagine! Press on today AND enjoy the coming weekend. 🙂