WORK

WHO IS YOUR REAL BOSS?

AT AGE 29 ALLEN HITCHCOCK felt trapped.

For six years he had worked as a clerk in a large department store. He was competent, and the job paid moderately well. He longed, however, for a future in management, and as he looked around, he saw that all those who were promoted to management positions had college educations. So, by taking night courses, he completed his college requirements and earned a degree in business administration.

The company soon promoted Allen to a job at a much higher salary. The first few years were just as he had imagined—reasonable hours, good wages and attractive fringe benefits. Then the unexpected happened. The company expanded to Florida, and the Hitchcocks were transferred. The expansion schedule called for strict deadlines, and Allen assumed major responsibilities as an assistant manager. At first he enjoyed the excitement of the challenge; however, his five-day week soon became six, and his normal eight-hour day grew to 14 hours. On top of that, his new boss was so demanding that Allen began to experience a great deal of tension at work.

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN He now had more work and more responsibility, but as an assistant manager he no longer could earn overtime. As a result he made the same pay as he would have before the promotion, and resentment toward his employer was building. Allen began to wonder if management was worth the stress. Allen’s job frustrations are not unusual.

Few people are completely satisfied with their jobs. Boredom, lack of fulfilment, fear of losing a job, inadequate wages, overwork and countless other pressures contribute to a high level of discontentment. Doctors, homemakers, secretaries, salespeople, blue-collar workers and managers— regardless of the profession, the frustrations are similar. During a 50-year career the average person spends 100,000 hours working. Most of an adult’s life is involved in work. Unfortunately, many just endure their work while ignoring the fact that 25 percent of their lives is devoted to a distasteful job.

On the other hand, some people like work too much and neglect the other priorities of life. People usually lean to one of two extremes: they either work as little as possible because work is unpleasant, or they tend to work all the time because it becomes overwhelmingly important. Scripture affirms the value of work but teaches that we should have a balance in work.

Work is designed to develop our character. While enabling us to provide for our material well-being, work is a pathway to experiencing a more intimate relationship with the Lord and with other people. In order to find satisfaction and balance in our work, we need to understand what Scripture teaches about it.