What I Do & What I Do To Value Me

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it - Genesis 2:15

This subject is bigger than one blog. So today's title is really faux. I'm only going to focus on one aspect of it.

According to the best of our sociologists man was created with seven foundational needs.

1. We have the need to be treated with dignity.

2. We expect authority to operate within our lives and to be authoritative at some level.

3. For what we do we anticipate compensation (blessing?) and provision.

4. We strive to acquire security.

5. We are built and pursue purpose and meaning.

6. Likewise we reach out for a sense of freedom and feel uncomfortable if we find it and have no boundaries (think of them as two sides of the same coin.)

7. We were made to experience intimate love and companionship.

Thus, one of the things we need to get hold of is that, having made us this way, God provides to us the means to receive and experience them. Part of our problem has been that we have redefined them to relate to the world around us and not back to the one who imbued us with these needs and desires!

As we understand the scriptures we know we were created for a certain purpose (or purposes) and God shapes our days in such a way that we can pursue these with His blessing in HIS WAY; recognizing ultimately we need to understand HIS definitions for each of them. When we go outside God's provision to meet these needs, we get into trouble. When we put our own definitions to them we lose communication rights with God the Father. (Think on that one for a moment!)

Every individual has a need to work and gain satisfaction in caring and seeing something come from their efforts. Many of our basic feelings of satisfaction are derived from our task-focused time. As we see by the verse we derive our teaching from today it was one of the first acts God did for man in the Garden of Eden. He gave a man responsibility. That responsibility was to care for his own homeland.

God created us to be productive. My sense is that this is part of God's own character. He needed to gain satisfaction from his time spent.

But there is a danger in this. It occurs when we allow our work to be our complete source of purpose and meaning in life. Unfortunately, we are provided many signals as we develop from children, to teens, to young adults that can burn this skewed message into our brains and hearts. This leads to a performance-based life where something earthly, not godly dictates our value. Generally speaking a performance-based life says, "As long as I perform in my work, I am acceptable to myself and others."

This is a subtle trap for all of us.

The outcomes of this trap (there are many) are being felt today in our nation as over 11% of the adults workforce has lost its job. A general morose has fallen across the land. On the other side of the coin, to those working it can lead us to become workaholics; in part concerned that we do not lose our purpose (i.e. our jobs) or because it is all we are good at, and all we have to evaluate ourselves.

Guys we must be careful. God did not make us to view life this way; as to seek validation through what we do. I hope this piece wakes you up. Because, obviously, sometimes this can be on a subconscious basis.

For believers in Christ our value must be centered in Jesus Christ, not in what we do. If we lose our job or our business, this should not devastate us if we are centered in Him. Lack of employment will certainly create difficulties, but God is the orchestrator of all the events in our lives for His purposes.

Remember?

I wrote that out just a few paragraphs up. In His plan for you even difficult times, empty of career, professional or work have a job to fulfill IN us. Your job in these times, as it is every day in every situation, is to find out what it is that God wants you to embrace. Well? C'mon? What is it? The message is clear. It is a message for you to embrace.

Today, ask the Lord if you have a proper balance in your spirit. Who is the king sitting on the throne. What is going to dictate your satisfaction? Have you recounted your blessings? Sit down and write out all that you are "IN CHRIST", not to forget it is much much more than your goofy job.

With me, today, let's get Jesus Christ back on the throne? If you labor long hours, ask yourself why. I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~