Martin Luther King Jr said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
Do you enjoy your work? or do you wish you could do something else? Are you a good employee? or are you struggling to be one? Are you excited about your work? Are you thankful? Are you contributing? Seriously, how would you respond if someone asked you about your work?
I pray that you are happy where God has placed you at and making the most out of your work. But even if you are struggling, do not despair and do not give up; God is working in you and He is rooting for you to do well. By allowing you to experience difficulties, God is building your faith, your character, your endurance and more so you can be a good worker and a good witness.
As followers of Jesus Christ, how then can we be good witnesses at our work? Tim Keller shares 5 principles on how our faith can encourage, influence and shape our work.
1. “Faith gives you an inner ballast without which work could destroy you.” Our identity is rooted in Christ and not in our work. Work for the Lord (Col. 3:22).
2. “Faith gives you a concept of the dignity and worth of all work, even simple work, without which work could bore you.” Wherever God has put us, even if it is a street sweeper, do our best and respect all workers. (Phil. 2:14-15).
3. “Faith gives you a moral compass without which work could corrupt you.” It is not wrong to enjoy the benefits of working hard but we are called to be the salt and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16).
4. “Faith gives you a world and life view that shapes the character of your work, without which work could master and use you.” It’s not all about us. Be a blessing. Love God by loving others (Mark 12:30-31).
5. “Faith gives you a sophisticated kind of hope, without which ultimately work frustrates you.” Hang in there, the best is yet to come (Rev. 21:1-5).
As we labour faithfully at our workplace, let us also remember that we need to work hard to keep our families healthy, to develop stronger relationships, and to invest greatly in the work of the Lord. Next week, our church is celebrating 166 years of God’s grace made possible by the faithfulness of those who have gone before us. Now it is our turn to continue the legacy. Will you commit to being a part of this community— to follow Jesus, to be His disciple and to make disciples of all ages? Will you fill a need no matter how small or big the task is? Will you consecrate your talents and your resources for God’s work? Will you let love reign in everything you do? I pray that you will. And by God’s power, I know you can.