Why do you work?
I’d never considered the question until a comment from my son forced me to reflect. I frequently find myself barrelling through our house tidying or opening my laptop to crank out email responses as if it’s a race. My son interrupted one of these productivity whirlwinds, “Mom, calm down. Why are you going so fast?” My unspoken response was, “So I can sit down!” For me, as it may be for you, work is often a means to an end. The end being rest (finally!). But this utilitarian view reduces our daily labor to a transactional activity, devoid of deeper significance. This perspective is far removed from the biblical understanding of work. Scripturally, work is not a consequence of sin but a divine ordinance, an integral aspect of human identity, and a form of worship that leads to joy and fulfillment.
Before the fall, God instituted work. Genesis 2:15 states, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” This directive was given not as a burden but as a blessing and an honor. Psalm 8 says:
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands.
By allowing man to participate in his creative order, God gave us the work of ruling over his good creation as his image bearers in his kingdom for his glory. Work, in its original design, was meant to be fulfilling and enjoyable, to provide a means of sustaining life, and how we were to understand our relationship to God and his creation.
The fall of man brought about a perversion of this perfect plan. Work became toilsome and fraught with frustration as reflected in Genesis 3:17-19. But the story did not end there. Through Christ, work has been redeemed. Colossians 3:23-24 encourages, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” This passage doesn’t just reintroduce the original sanctity of work; it elevates it to an act of worship, a way to serve God in the seemingly mundane.
Theologically, work is fundamental to our identity as human beings created in the image of a Creator. Work allows us to mirror God’s creativity, to exert dominion over the earth, and to fulfill our God-given mandate. When we view work through this lens, it ceases to be a mere duty and becomes a divine calling. Each task, no matter how commonplace, carries with it the potential to honor God and contribute to the unfolding of his kingdom on earth.
Yet, many of us are driven by flawed motivations in our work. Whether it’s striving for approval, accumulating wealth, seeking personal glory, or (like me) as a means to rest, such motivations skew the purpose of work and lead to dissatisfaction and burnout. Ecclesiastes 2:24 points out, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.” Enjoyment in our labor is a gift from God, but it requires the correct orientation—one that sees work as an opportunity to glorify God and serve others.
By reorienting our understanding and approach to work, we can reclaim the joy and satisfaction that comes from engaging in labor as a form of worship. Work, when done unto the Lord, not only brings true rest and satisfaction but transforms everyday tasks into beautiful acts of devotion. In doing so, we fulfill a more complete vision of redeemed image-bearers in union with Christ, making our work both a gift to the world and a direct offering to the God who works in and through us.
