The Work Of Our Hands

God never intended work to be stressful, or to suck the energy out of us, or to be in vain and empty. All those things are a result of Adams’ failure back in the garden.

Unfortunately, too many of us experience these feelings every day. Some of us might be in a position that we just don’t ‘fit’ based on how God has ‘hardwired’ us to contribute, and that’s something that can and should be understood and addressed.

Others only experience these feelings when they’re engaged in certain tasks throughout their day, but for all of us there are times that we feel as though our work is futile or in vain.

Things like responses from our clients, our peers, or our bosses. Or maybe when we just flat out can’t make something work and there’s no one else to blame but ourselves.

Too much of this and we begin to resent our work, others we work with, our own inadequacies, or maybe even God Himself. We come home exhausted intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually as well as physically and we’re not really sure why. This job was supposed to get us through these early child raising years, but we’re not sure we can keep it up. Or maybe we started our own business because we believed there was a need we could meet, a niche’ we could fill, or it was a dream we’d had for years that was supposed to allow us to do what we love to do.

In our world nothing can turn out the way we thought it would all the time. That’s because our world is broken. A lot of this can be addressed through coaching and adjustments, but it will never all be perfect. Even if we find that ‘perfect’ job in the ‘perfect’ company, the fact remains we’re not perfect and neither is anyone we work with. There’s no way out of it, but there are two things we need to know.

1. We can make it ‘through’ it –
• “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…
  Ps 23:4

2. There will be a day when our work will be completely stress free and magnificently meaningful.
• “For behold, I create new heavens
  and a new earth,
  and the former things shall not be remembered
  or come into mind.
  . . . and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
  They shall not labor in vain.
  Isaiah 65:17, 22-23

These are truths to dig into and draw strength and courage.