Skip to main content

“Work is often used as the basis for our self-esteem.”

A thought by H. Norman Wright DMin. from his book, Discovering Who You Are And How God Sees You (p.15). Baker Publishing Group (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That can be so true, can’t it?

Norman says, “Self-esteem increases when we feel good about what we accomplish on the job. It is part of the performance basis for identity. Work becomes more than a source of income, even though some people will cling to the belief that money is really the main motivating factor of a job. But what happens if you are in a job that involves long-term projects with few visible indicators of how you are doing? What if you are in a sales job and each month you start over, having to meet your quota and compete against all the other salespeople? Situations such as these put the self-esteem of some people on a roller-coaster ride every month, offering little stability for their identity.”

He goes on, “We are people who tend toward idolatry. We create idols and build our lives around them. For many, the body and how it looks is an idol. For some, wealth and possessions are idols. For numerous mothers, the calling to be a mother becomes an idol. And for many, whether they realize it or not, work is an idol. When something becomes everything to us, that is idolatry.

“Let’s consider work again but this time from God’s perspective. Our work is meant to be an expression of who we are as God’s handiwork. Because of who God is and how he sees us, as evidenced in the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, we must be worth something. We have value, worth, dignity, and adequacy because God has declared that we have them. Instead of our work giving us a sense of value, worth, dignity, and adequacy as Christians, it is the other way around.

“The way we do our job is an expression of the high-value God has ascribed in us.

“The proficiency of the level of our work is an expression of the high-value God has ascribed to us.

“We bring dignity to our work because God has given us a sense of dignity. As believers, we have the opportunity to do a job out of the sense of adequacy we have because of God’s declaration that we are adequate. We should not work to make us feel adequate. If we search the Scriptures, we discover that we are special and worthwhile only because of God.

“What would happen to you and the quality of your work if your attitude was this: My work is an expression of me and the presence of God in my life! It would be the beginning of feeling good about yourself, in spite of what may be going on at your job.”

And that is what we want, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives.”

A thought by Jon Tyson from his book, The Burden Is Light: Liberating Your Life from the Tyranny of Performance and Success (p. 118). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) But is that all that is important? Jon says, “We want to realize an immediate return from whatever we invest in. I am prone to this way of thinking in so many areas of my life. ‘I paid a lot for that meal, yet the portions were not that big.’ ‘I invested two hours in that movie, and it was just okay.’   ‘I went to church, but the sermon wasn’t that profound.’ We believe it’s important to derive value from everything in our lives. But beauty doesn’t fit within that framework. When Mary anointed Jesus with oil, there was an immediate outcry against her extravagant generosity. ‘It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ (Mark 14:5) One gospel depicts the disciples crying, ‘Why this waste?...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Hurry and love are incompatible.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, pretty strong thought isn’t it? John says, “All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day. I ooze anger, tension, a critical nagging—the antitheses of love. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re trying to get your type B wife and three young, easily distracted children out of the house and you’re running late (a subject on which I have a wealth of experience), just pay attention to how you relate to them. Does it look and feel like love? Or is it far more in the vein of agitation, anger, a biting comment, a rough glare? Hurry and love are oil and water: they simply do not mix.” He goes on, “Hence, in the apostle P...
Post a Comment
Read more