A Theology of Work

In studying the Scripture about a theology of work, I am struck by the importance of rest to the whole work-life balance. The more people I talk with, the more I find that people too often get things out of balance. At one extreme, we have people who work 60+ hours/week (and maybe spend another 10+ hours commuting), leaving little time for family, fun, rejuvenation, and ministry outside the workplace. On the other end, we have folks who are trying to do the least amount of work possible, barely working even when they are on the job, if they have one. Then, of course, most people fall somewhere in between on the spectrum. Figuring out the right balance between work and rest, or work and the rest of life, can be a lot of work!

Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to see about a theology of work. In fact, here is a list of verses about work and rest. The short of it is that we should work diligently to the best of our abilities while we are at work (or school) and then focus on the other things the Lord has for us when we are not at work, including getting the appropriate rest we need. However, it’s not always simple to work out. What if I have to work harder than others to keep up? What if I work at place that has a culture of workaholism (over-working)? What if I’m retired? How do I view work if I’m a stay-at-home parent? Many of these questions don’t have easy answers, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wrestle with the ones that are relevant to your life right now.

For example, if you are retired, ask yourself how you can use a special segment of your time (“work”) to serve others? If you are a stay-at-home parent, how you can schedule your time to have a natural rhythm of care taking and household work, along with refreshing rest? If you have a tendency to overwork, how can you protect your calendar so that you don’t neglect your family or forget self-care?

The Bible is clear that both hard work and regular rest are important. We need to prioritize both in our lives. Prayerfully reflect on your routines. Is there a concrete step you need to take to forge a better balance between work and rest?