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"Work is good, holy, and part of the image of God within us. "
In most religious traditions, daily work is honorable and yes, even sacred. Let's celebrate the holiness of labor.
God doesn't make the distinction between sacred and secular -- which humans seem to have invented and invoke to exclude God from parts of their lives.
In most religious traditions, daily work is honorable and yes, even sacred. The Genesis creation story, for example, is about six days of work, continually recognized as good and holy, culminating in creatures in God's image to continue the work of creation and care. Work in the Genesis story is God's self-expression, revealing limitless imagination (one trip to the zoo convinces us of this) and humor (witness the ostrich).
Part of being created in God's image is being a co-creator with God and, like God, having work to do. Though some Christian traditions have associated work with the curse of original sin, a closer look at the Genesis account reveals that God gave the man and the woman work to do. Work is part of God's original good intention for humans. Because humans are created in God's image, they inherently need opportunities to express their creativity. God gives them work, and entrusts the care of the garden, the animals, and children to them. Work is good, holy, and part of the image of God within us.
The Genesis story has been interpreted to mean that sin entered the world and that work became tainted. The work that we know, whether it's paid work, work at home, or volunteer work, can include dishonest bosses, lazy employees, ungrateful families, petty jealousies, office gossips, Enron-like corporate scandals, unfair treatment, and worse. All of these things are real and all-too-present in our daily work. Yet focusing solely on the results of sin in the workplace ignores God's redemptive power and presence and the continual opportunity to reclaim the holiness of labor.
What would it look like to focus on God's redemptive power and presence in the workplace? What would it look like to focus on the sacredness of work?
Barb McIntyre, a nurse at HealthEast (a hospital system in the Twin Cities in Minnesota), is a prime example of one who focuses on the sacredness of work. A Roman Catholic, Barb came to HealthEast over 30 years ago, determined to see Christ in the face of each of her patients. After several years, she was promoted to head nurse. She offers her staff and patients respect and support. She leads with a light touch, recognizing the pressure of her nurses' jobs. She communicates her care for each one of her nurses as a person, doing such things as expressing appreciation regularly and also sending annual holiday cards in which she expresses gratitude for specific ways each has served in the previous year. She finds her staff coming to her to talk when crises arise in their personal lives.
A few years ago HealthEast's CEO took Barb to lunch, asking what HealthEast could learn from her about putting people first. Her retention and continuous improvement record had caught his eye, and he knew that she was incarnating HealthEast's values. Now Barb is held up as a role model, and she teaches others how to put people first at HealthEast, just as she does.
Barb knew that she could bring God's redemptive power and presence into the workplace. Patients and staff took notice, and eventually the entire hospital system benefitted. As one created in God's image, Barb was entrusted with the care of others: by staying true to her spiritual values, she was able to treat her patients and colleagues with consideration, fairness, and respect. For Barb McIntyre, there is no distinction between sacred and secular. When one person recognizes the sacredness of work, the ripple effect can be enormous.
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., is CEO and Founder of Executivesoul.com and is the author of the best-seller Soul at Work.
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