Work is a Gift
“In the beginning…”
God creates something from nothing. He fashions humans into being, in His image, and breathes life into Adam and Eve. Then, he equips them with a very specific calling: to create through work. Yes, to work.
Work is a God-given calling to humans:
Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
Let’s start here: you are created in the image of God - a Creator. And in the same way that He made order out of chaos, you were made to have dominion and create beauty in this world. How?
Genesis 2:5-7, emphasis our own: “When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.”
God saw an earth, void of someone to work it: to create, to harvest, to name, to seed, to take care.
All this happened before the fall.
What does this mean? We need first to reconcile the fact that God-designed work is a gift, and we’ve been given authority to exercise our dominion as people made in His image - through it. To bring order from chaos. God calls it good.
In a world that lives to escape work, we know we are made for it.
Work takes up the majority of our waking hours. This matters. A second perspective to reconcile is how we have been uniquely designed to outwork this calling in a meaningful way. God did not intend for us to waste away in (and feel chained to) our work - but to enjoy it and find meaning in it.
It’s important to note that what is “meaningful” and “fulfilling” to you might likely not be the case for someone else. Your experiences and expertise are unique to you.
For the one who has or is realizing the call to business being missional or even starting a Kingdom business - we are specifically here to support you.
Regardless of the profession and work you find yourself in, how can you practically outwork God’s mission to create in your day-to-day?
Here are 3 questions to consider:
Investigate how you are uniquely equipped to steward the biggest chunk of your waking time: what is meaningful work to you, and how can you partner with God in it?
How can you create human flourishing through your business and work to bring order from chaos?
Who is encouraging you as you show up every single day to do what God has called you to do? No role is a perfect 100% mash up of all the things that interest us, and in a world that’s loud about escaping work, how are you prioritizing being known and championed by like-minded people?
This is why we started the BAM Canada Network - a private network that brings missional business owners and entrepreneurs together. Your work is worship. It is sacred - God calls it good.
As you go about your work, remember: it is a gift.
Curious about joining the BAM Canada Network or learning more about us?
Check out our private Network.
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