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For too long now, our nation’s monthly jobs report has told the tragic story of too many Americans being out of work. Although there has been improvement in the numbers since the beginning of the recession, progress has been agonizingly slow. And the numbers do not begin to describe the prolonged suffering of the people involved.
Our jobs are what we do to make a living. The money we get paid for doing those jobs provides us and our families with food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical care and much more. While Jesus said that “man does not live by bread alone,” he never said that we could “live without bread.”
Indeed, the health of our communities, economic and otherwise, depends on most of us having jobs that provide us with a decent standard of living. When people lose their jobs, it affects us all.
However, unemployment statistics reflect more than just the loss of jobs and income. Our jobs provide us a place in our world, as well as the knowledge that our presence and daily efforts count for something. Being productive, getting paid for our labor, and using those earnings to care for ourselves and those we love is vital to our self-esteem and mental health.
At a time when so many have lost their jobs and many more are under-employed or in jeopardy of becoming unemployed, it may be helpful to realize that there are differences between our jobs and our work.
Our work is more than employment — a job that we get paid to do. It involves being able to use our natural abilities and to experience joy and satisfaction in our efforts. It’s labor in which we find meaning because we’re doing something that the world needs done and that we enjoy doing.
In Christian terms, our work is more than a job. It’s a calling — our vocation.
For some of us, our work and our job are happily one in the same. But for others of us, our calling is different than what we do to make a living. Whatever the circumstances, we can do our work whether we’re on the job or off, unemployed or retired. Our world is our workplace.
In his book “Blue Highways,” William Moon tells of his encounter with a traveler on a back road in California. The old man who had left his job behind said reflectively, “A man’s never out of work if he’s worth [anything]. It’s just sometimes he doesn’t get paid for it. I’ve gone unpaid my share and I’ve pulled my share of pay. But that’s got nothing to do with working. A man’s work is doing what he’s supposed to do, and that’s why he needs a catastrophe now and again to show him a bad turn isn’t the end, because a bad stroke never stops a good man’s work.”
We may not always be able to offer the unemployed a job. But we can provide support during their time of need and help them to rediscover and continue their work. In so doing, we may also find our own calling again.
Lord, give us this day our daily bread and remind us of the work You’ve called us to do.
Amen.
John Paul Carter’s “Notes from the Journey” appear in the Democrat on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. Carter is an ordained minister who attends Central Christian Church.
Viewpoints
COLUMN: Never out of work, even unemployed
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Letters to the Editor – May 23, 2013
America is being destroyed by voter fraud and the buying of votes by the followers of Karl Marx.
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CNHI EDITORIAL: Seizure of AP phone records an insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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NOW HEAR THIS: ‘What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate’
This famous quote addressing communication failure is a classic line from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman. Strother Martin, who played the role of the warden in a southern prison, would use this phrase every time he gave Luke a good whack with his baton. The concept resonated so well with moviegoers that it was voted No. 11 of the 100 all-time favorite movie quotes according to the American Film Institute.
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Letters to the Editor – May 19, 2013
Do you remember the “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” sign that the personnel on the USS Abraham Lincoln displayed to greet President Bush when he went out to greet them?
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Guest opinion: Campaign with honor
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TISCIONE: Woe for calling evil good
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Letters to the Editor – May 17, 2013
As mercury pollution threatens our waterways and carbon pollution-fueled climate change worsens extreme weather, we need someone in Washington who knows how to get things done.
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Letters to the Editor – May 15, 2013
I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to the slobs, idiots and inconsiderate people who continually decorate the beautiful Texas landscape with their trash. I guess it’s really a form of art with beer bottles and cans, boxes, plastic drink containers, food packaging and just about anything else you can think of. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Thank you.
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NOW HEAR THIS: Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin
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ESTES: Securing a bright future for Texas
Texas businesses have created more than 500,000 jobs since November 2011. Our economy is growing nearly 50 percent faster than the rest of the country and our cost of living remains low.
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Letters to the Editor – May 23, 2013
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