Dignity of Work

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Dignity of Work
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Lets Talk..
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Question

• What is the connection between this job and my
  purpose in life?

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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

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Meaning is Found in the Moments of Life
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A Grain of Sand
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Including God in My Plan
Vs.
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Mans Search for Meaning

• He who has a why can bear with almost any how.
  (Nietsche)

• It did not really matter what we expected from
  life, but rather what life expected from us.
• (Victor Frankl, 1946)

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Dimensions of Calling
Jesus in Gethsemane
Source Os Guinness, Gordon Smith, Paul Stevens
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Two Distortions of Calling
Source Os Guinness, The Call
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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

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A Grain of Sand
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Secondary Callings
Old
New
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Secondary Callings
Two Ways to Live
SourceMt 6.33, X
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Opportunities for Expression
Two Ways to Live
SourceMt 6.33, X
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Primary Calling
MISSION
To love God with all our heart, soul and
mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Source Deut 645, Mt
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To grow into the full expression of Christ in
me.
Source Col 1
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To be Lindas best friend on earth.
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To raise our sons into the men God has in mind
for them to become.
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To manage the resources God has given me to the
best of my ability.
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To be there for peopleto add energy to
their lives.
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To give some- thing back
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Secondary Callings
MISSION
To contribute to a better society, as seen
through the eyes of God.
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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

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The Place of Our Calling
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People and their Callings
People
Calling
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Great People with Great Callings

• William Wilberforce
• Alexander Solzhenitsyn
• Florence Nightingale

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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
• Were in the between times

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Mr. Hollands Opus
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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

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The Reality Following Christ through Life
Trust God and do the next thing. (Oswald
Chambers)
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A Grain of Sand.SomeKey Relationships
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Myth We offer our work to earn Gods love.
1 Jn 4.19, Ja 2.17, Ep 2.10
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Myth We derive meaning from our work. (We are
what we do.)
The Work
The Worker
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A Challenge of Business
From the Worker
Sources of Meaning
From the Work
Business- person
Missionary
Doctor
Teacher
Social Worker
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Bringing Meaning to Our Work
JOB
LIFE-DRAINING PERSPECTIVE
LIFE-GIVING PERSPECTIVE
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Small Group Discussion
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InterVarsity Following Christ Conference Business
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 Gods calling for your life a.     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?
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Attributes of Business as Your Calling

• As an Institution
• Position of Influence in the world
• Inherently based on Service
• Inadequate modelShareholder 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

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Where Do We Start?
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My Work-Life Sources of Joy

• 1. Colleagues I enjoy and respect
• Competency
• Character
• Chemistry

2. Quality relationships among people
3. Work I enjoy
4. Opportunity for significant upside
5. Control of my schedule
6. Location
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Meaning is Found in the Moments of Life
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Lets Talk.

• What would it mean to
• Create an Excel spreadsheet, or
• Perform due diligence on a company
• .For the love of God.

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In the worldnot of it.

• The interaction between our careers and our
  souls.

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I AM NOT A GREAT MAN January 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.
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What if?
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Enjoy the Journey

• ..May you know that you are on the right trail.