Dignity of Work. …Let’s Talk….. Question What is the connection between this job and my...
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Transcript of Dignity of Work. …Let’s Talk….. Question What is the connection between this job and my...
Dignity of Work
…Let’s Talk…..
Question
What is the connection between this job and my purpose in life?
Discussion Sections
1. Meaning in Work, in the Context of Meaning in Life
2. The Power of a Call
3. Bringing Meaning to Our Work – Practical Implications
Purpose of My Life
Meaning is Found in the Moments of Life
Con
nect
ed
ness
Con
gru
en
ce
Purpose ofMy Work
Lifein the
Moment
A Grain of Sand…
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
Past
Moves through Time
Future
Including God in My Plan…
God’s Plan
Me
Me God’s
My Plan
God
“I want deeply to get closer to God and to include Himin my decisions and my life.” (My 1st journal entry, 10/25/80)
Vs.Logscale
Man’s Search for Meaning
“He who has a why can bear with almost any how.” (Nietsche)
WHO
WHAT “It did not really matter what we
expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.”
(Victor Frankl, 1946)
GOD
Attributes
Primary Call• To a Person• To Character (Christ’s)• To a Purpose (to love)
Dimensions of Calling
Call in thisMoment
• To a way of being• To do “the right thing”
Secondary Callings
• To different roles(spouse, friend, employee)
Source: Os Guinness, Gordon Smith, Paul Stevens
Jesu
s in
Geth
sem
an
e
Two Distortions of Calling
Source: Os Guinness, The Call
“Protestant Distortion”
Nature of Calling
SecularSacred
Level of Calling
Low
High “Catholic Distortion”
Do Everything for theLove of God “If all that a believer does grows out of faith and
is done for the glory of god, then all dualistic distinctions are demolished.” Os Guinness
“The menial housework of a maidservant is often more acceptable to God than all the fastings and other works of a monk or priest, because the monk or priest lacks faith.” Martin Luther
“If our desire is to please God, pouring water, washing dishes, cobbling shoes, and preaching the Word is all one.” William Tyndale
“To the soul, the ordinary is sacred.” Thomas Moore
A Grain of Sand
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
Past
Moves through Time
Future
Secondary Callings
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
NewOld
SELF
Lordshipof Christ
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Secondary Callings
Two Waysto Live
World’s
Source:Mt 6.33, X
Lordshipof Christ
NewOld
SELF
…Opportunities for Expression
Source:Mt 6.33, X
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ Two Ways
to Live
NewOld
SELF
God’s World’s
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
Primary Calling
To love God withall our heart, soul and mind…and to love ourneighbor asourselves.
MISSION
Source: Deut 6:4~5, Mt
NewOld
SELF
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
Secondary Callings
To grow into thefull expression of “Christ in me.”
MISSION
Source: Col 1
NewOld
SELF
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
Secondary Callings
To be Linda’sbest friend on earth.
MISSION
NewOld
SELF
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
Secondary Callings
To raise our sons into the men Godhas in mind forthem to become.
MISSION
NewOld
SELF
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
Secondary Callings
To manage theresources Godhas given me tothe best of myability.
MISSION
NewOld
SELF
Secondary Callings
To be there forpeople…to addenergy to theirlives.
MISSION
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
NewOld
SELF
Secondary Callings
To give some-thing back…
MISSION
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
NewOld
SELF
Secondary Callings
To contribute toa better society,as seen through the eyes of God.
MISSION
Business Leader
Citizen Friend
SOCIETY
Steward
DadSpouse
FAMILY
Lordshipof Christ
NewOld
SELF
Discussion Sections
1. Meaning in Work, in the Context of Meaning in Life
2. The Power of a Call
3. Bringing Meaning to Our Work – Practical Implications
The Place of Our Calling
TALENTS
NEEDSOF OTHERS
PASSION
“The place God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet.”
Fredrich Beuchner
People and their Callings
Peter the Apostle To lead Christ’s church
Saul of Tarsus To preach the Gospel to the Gentiles
Francis of Assisi To live a life among the poor, for the poor
Abraham L incoln To preserve the Union
J ames Dobson To develop strong Christian families
Mother Teresa To serve the poorest of the poor
People Calling
Great People with Great Callings William Wilberforce Alexander Solzhenitsyn Florence Nightingale
While I cannot live at the depth of their truth, I can live in the direction of their truth…
Observations of Call Must be from God Begins with a call to Himself At the intersection of who I am and
the work God wants to do on earth Other-centered vs. self-centered For others and with others We’re in the “between times”
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Discussion Sections
1. Meaning in Work, in the Context of Meaning in Life
2. The Power of a Call
3. Bringing Meaning to Our Work – Practical Implications
The Reality: Following Christ through Life
Con
gru
en
ce &
Con
nect
ed
ness
“Trust God and do the next thing.” (Oswald Chambers)
Walk
w
ith
Je
sus
Sen
se o
f D
irect
ion
Purpose of My Life
Purpose ofMy Work
Lifein the
Moment
A Grain of Sand….SomeKey Relationships
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
Past
Moves thru Time
Future
Myth: We offer our work to earn God’s love.
Me
God
1 Jn 4.19, Ja 2.17, Ep 2.10
2
1
My WorkVersus
Truth: Our work is an expression of God’s love within us.
3 My Work
God
Me
1 2
Myth: We derive meaning from our work. (We are what we do.)
Derive MeaningFROM work
The Worker
The Work
Truth: Bring meaning to our work. (What we do is an expression of who we are.)
Bring MeaningTO work
A Challenge of BusinessS
ou
rces
of
M
ean
ing
Missionary Doctor Business-person
Fromthe
Worker
Fromthe
Work
SocialWorker
Teacher
Perspective & Motivations
Intrinsic Meaning& Societal Value
Bringing Meaning to Our Work
Assembly line worker for fetal monitors
Soldering components all day long
Building equipment that saves children’s lives
High school English teacher
Killing myself to teach unmotivated students
Shaping young people’s lives
Nurse in hospice Changing bedpans for patients who will die soon anyway
Providing a loving environment for peoples’ last days
Shuttle bus driver Driving this boring route all day long to pay the bills
“I meet interesting people going interesting places”
JOBLIFE-DRAININGPERSPECTIVE
LIFE-GIVINGPERSPECTIVE
Small Group Discussion
InterVarsity Following Christ ConferenceBusiness Track--Kingdom & Calling
December 30, 2002
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What do I see as the connection between my job and my purpose in life? 2. What myths have you believed/lived about kingdom and calling? What myths might you currently believe based on your “lived theology”? 3. Describe some highlights of your journey in discovering and pursuing God’s calling for your lifea. Has it been easy? Hard?b. Has it been predictable? Random?c. Has it been clear? Hidden? 4. To what degree do you feel that your life has provided opportunities for the expression of your passions and talents? Have you seen how God has used these to meet the needs of others? 5. How would you articulate the call God has placed on your heart? How has it evolved over time? 6. What “life-giving” and “life-draining” perspectives could you bring to your current career position? What most accurately describes your true perspective?
Attributes of Business as Your Calling
As an Institution Position of Influence in
the world
Inherently based on Service
Inadequate model—Shareholder Value
For an Individual Most people need to
work to live Work 100,000 hours in
a lifetime
At the seam between the Kingdoms of God & This world Crucible for the
growth of the soul
Where Do We Start?…
“Don’t start by thinking about what the world needs, but think about what makes you come alive…for what the world needs are people who are alive.” (John Eldrege, Wild at Heart)
TALENTS
NEEDSOF OTHERS
PASSION
My Work-Life: Sources of Joy 1. Colleagues I enjoy and respect
a. Competencyb. Characterc. Chemistry
Looking for a job vs.Designing a life?
2. Quality relationships among people3. Work I enjoy4. Opportunity for significant upside5. Control of my schedule6. Location
Meaning is Found in the Moments of Life
Con
nect
ed
ness
Con
gru
en
ce
Purpose of My Life
Purpose ofMy Work
Lifein the
Moment
Let’s Talk….
What would it mean to…
Create an Excel spreadsheet, or
Perform due diligence on a company
….For the love of God….
In the world…not of it….
The interaction between our careers and our souls…….
I AM NOT A GREAT MANJanuary 2001
Lord, I am not a great man.How I have wanted to be a great man.How I have strived to be a great man.How I have made myself into a great man in the fantasies of my mind.I am not a great man. I am selfish.At my core, I care less about helping and serving others than I do about achieving my own goals. I am impure.Jesus, my thoughts are not your thoughts. My interior life has not been cleansed by your transcendent sacrifice. I am afraid.I wallow in the worries of work.As I come into mid-life, I do not feel the increased competence and character I had hoped for. I am tired. I have failed. I am lost. I am confused. I am frustrated. I am empty. I am disoriented. I am unmotivated. I am not a great man.But you are a great God.Lord, fill the cavern of my soul.Replace my doubts and my anxieties with yourself.Wrap my smallness in the greatness of your love.Nail my selfish, impure and fearful self to your cross, O Lord.Resurrect in its place nothing less than yourself, in me. Lord, as we begin a new year, plant in me the seeds of a new life. And let me acknowledge, Lord, that it is not I who lives, but you who lives in me. Seeing myself at this bottom, may I never forget that it is you who rescues me from the pit. It is you who edifies, you who redeems, you who saves. I am not a great man.But I do not need to be a great man, for you are a great God.I pray that I can develop a great love for you.And, I hope I am growing into a good man.Greatness in the eyes of men does not compare to goodness in the eyes of God.
…What if?
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
Past Future
Moves through Time
Enjoy the Journey
…..May you know that you are on the right trail….
