"Don’t overlook the beauty of work"

12/1

Here are some thoughts I have on an article with title. The link is posted below.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2015/11/18/overlook-beauty-work/76014038/

I've always known that work was a good thing, but I often struggle to really believe that. Being raised in a hard working, protestant, german family living outside of Washington DC, the work-idolizing capital of the world, has forced me to recognize the necessity and benefit of labor. On the flip side, though, I have also been raised in a world and culture that demonizes work of any kind and is constantly shoving amusement down my throat in the forms of video games, YouTube, TV, and other time wasting activities. Even reading can be amusement. And to me, the word "amusement" carries a negative connotation. To amuse is to distract from something worthwhile.

I, unfortunately, am in love with amusement. I'll waste my entire day sitting around watching cat videos for a cheap laugh rather than going hard to work on something of importance to earn a deep sense of accomplishment. Perhaps I need to spend more time reflecting on the "beauty of work," as this article phrases it.

Beauty originates from and points man to God. Work also comes from God; in Genesis 1-2, God assigned Adam with the task of tending the garden and naming the animals and subduing the earth and multiplying. All these things are jobs, and the carrying out thereof is work. So work is biblical and from God. It's pre-fall, which means work is a good thing.  Finally, God's commands are blessings and His blessing are commands, which means work is actually a blessing.

But how can work be considered beautiful? How do I see God in work? Well, this might be more of a stretch. I guess generally, work is the completing of tasks and goals. In that way, work highlights the character of God that is ordered and intentional. For more specific examples of actual vocations, I'd have to see God or the Gospel somehow in the job to consider it beautiful.

Most of this is just rambling. My point is that I agree with this article. Work is good and can even be beautiful and I should try to remember that more often.