Work: Living in the Already and Not Yet

In this season on my life, work is a place where I can so easily experience the trueness of the both "already" and "not-yet"-ness of the world. Work can be so incredibly rewarding, satisfying, and enjoyable at times -- it feels good to work with my hands, to discover something new, to write a paper or to give a presentation. That is the already -- the part of work that is filled with God's goodness and his intention for work. The already is the part of work that is clearly held in God's hand and overflowing with grace.

But then there's the not yet. Something about work just seems hard. The day and the hours drag on. I accomplish something, only to realize that I have to redo it. My coworkers can be hard to work with at times and at the end of the day I feel drained and exhausted. Despite working being a good thing created by God, it's also part of a broken and fallen world.

 And like everything else in this world, work has every part of it both touched by fallenness and sprinkled with grace. Work is good, but incomplete in it's goodness. But God has instructed us to live in this world in such a way as to usher in his new kingdom -- a world in which work is completely satisfying and completely fulfilling. 

So there is  Grace. One thing I have to remind myself of every day is that living in the "not yet" means that completeness and perfection at work will always be impossible. I can strive and toil for my entire life, and sure I may do some good things, but they'll never be a good as I want them to be or as complete as I want them to be. Are you a striver? Are you tempted to strive yourself to death? Stop, and rest. 

I don't mean stop working, but stop and rest in the goodness of who God in your work is and the goodness of the work that He has given to you. Rest in the fact that he will "complete the good work he has began in you." Serve the Lord joyfully in your work -- not because it's always easy but because all work is God's work. And it is Good. 

I'm Back

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Wow - I have been gone so long. Long story short, last semester got really crazy when I accepted a part-time job writing test questions for an online biology textbook company. It was a great gig -- I was getting the experience I wanted, working from home in my spare time, and making some extra cash. But eventually I felt like the life was being sucked out of me. 15 hours on paper is doable, even as a full time grad student, but in real life it meant that I was constantly procrastinating, staying up too late, and spending my weekends working. I felt like I didn't have time breathe and enjoy life.

It was good though and a learning experience -- learning what I can really handle and learning to leave margin for life.

So this post is to say I'm back and look forward to posting more consistently again. If you have any suggestions on topics - please let me know!

I went to the library today for a couples of books by Soren Kierkegaard, one of my favorite Christian philosophers -- hoping for writing inspiration from that.

Stress Junkie?

This semester I've been thrown / threw myself into a sea of stress. Between planning  a wedding from Ohio, trying to test out of a class that I've put off for the last 3 and a half years, preparing for my senior seminar, working 16 hours a week, and realizing that my supposedly easy courses this semester are going to be a lot more work than I anticipated....well I'm a little on  edge.

And what's more annoying is that I seem to purposely make it worse by procrastinating what I do have to do.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/somatic-psychology/201101/addicted-success

This article from psychology today explains how some people can actually become addicted to the adrenaline rush that is associated with the stress of trying to achieve high goals.

I'm not a particularly organized person. But check out my calendar. I like to carefully plan every minute of my days so I don't waste even a second. I don't allow myself down-time usually.

So I'm thinking biblical application here -- what does God say about finding rest and having peace?


Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.


It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
(Psalm 127:1- 2 ESV)

My stress...my "anxious toil" is in vain. It is worthless. My goal today is to take a few minutes when I'm feeling stressed and look at my work from God's perspective. What is its eternal value? How can I find joy and rest in working in such a way that I am in the center of God's will?