Does Work Always Have to be Meaningful?

I think that a job should always be meaningful (at least to the person doing the work) but not necessarily “personally purposeful.” I think that everyone is born with an innate desire to contribute, to be “outwardly-focused” and not inwardly seeking his own fulfillment. The key is in the definition of “meaning” which ultimately leads us to the discovery that life is not about us, that we are a part of a plan bigger than ourselves and that we have a unique ability to add value. I think “meaning” comes into play when we are able to line up our abilities with our contribution. Your abilities are the tools that you have in your hand. A poor immigrant worker from Uganda or the slums of India who is desperate for money to feed his family would be thrilled to be a garbage collector. If however, he was able to put enough money aside to get a college education, I doubt that he would still be content to be a garbage collector. Once he is able to steadily provide for his family (something that initially gave him meaning), he now has the ability to give something to society, above and beyond the needs of his own family.

I think that the process is important because it is the process that will set a follower of Christ apart from other people (or so we hope). The process is ultimately determined by one’s attitude. Who do you really work for? “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). But it also comes down to realistic expectations. It is hard to have a good attitude about any job when we think that there is some other job out there that is all fun and no work. I do not think that any job in the world is always 100% fulfilling. There are parts to every job that are mundane and undesirable. For example, there is lots of paperwork and flight preparation that goes along with being a fighter pilot. An NFL football player spends roughly 95% of his time working out and practicing and maybe only 5% in a game setting. Typically though, an NFL player has both natural and acquired skills and desires that match him to his vocation and therefore the less glorious aspects of the job are more bearable for him than they would be for someone else. There is no perfect job, but I think that there are jobs that suit our interests and talents better than others.

Work hard wherever you are at and keep your eye out for opportunities to achieve your goals. If you are currently a garbage collector then I think you should be the best garbage collector you can be. This certainly does not mean that if you have the desire and the ability to be an architect that you should continue to work as a garbage collector out of some ascetical sense of duty. If you do, I think you are forfeiting the gift God has given you and you are in the same boat as the man who hid his talent in the field (matthew 5:13-30).