Lots of companies have shed jobs and laid off employees who may never return. Paychecks are lower, taxes will probably go up and the cost of living endlessly rises. Without a good job the future is daunting, and it's not all about money.
Americans place a huge emphasis on work and it's a big source of our identities. The loss of a job can be mind-numbing and ego-shattering no matter what kind of work we do as our sense of value is challenged.
Does the inability to get a comparable job need to be devastating? Not if you asked 17th century Puritans, for whom work was vital. Amy Henry of The Wall Street Journal writes "they developed one of the most highly defined and well-honed work ethics in history" and "believed that all of life, including their work, was God's, and as such, infused with purpose and meaning. They saw hardship not as a sign of failure, but as a path to growth and maturity, a mind-set that kept them from the kind of work-related despair seen in today's news."
The Puritans knew that physical activity and fun were essential to well-being. The Victorian idea that Puritans embraced "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy," is not true. "The Puritans pursued joy, the very antithesis of depression, even in the midst of hardship, believing they were firmly in God's hand, not forgotten or forsaken."
All work was esteemed and taking "a step down in pay or stature (did) not equate to failure." Whatever work was found, it was essential it be done." As Martin Luther so eloquently put it, "God...does not want me to sit at home, to loaf, to commit matters to God, and wait till a fried chicken flies into my mouth."
Ever see Dirty Jobs on TV? If the people they film decided none of their jobs were worth doing, we'd quickly discover that politicians and company presidents are a lot more expendable than pig sloppers, fish gutters, trash collectors or roadkill picker-uppers.
Work is healthy and everyone, regardless of occupation, is on the same plane in the eyes of God. For Christians who suffer setbacks, it's a perspective that dismisses the idea that those with job security, fancy titles and Armani suits are somehow more worthy than others.
Even if the next job doesn't measure up to the lost one, it's still God's work. It leaves a Christian's dignity and sense of value intact.
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Great piece, Chet.
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