From Dread to Delight: Enjoying Your Job
Have you ever wondered why do we say, “back to reality?” Aren’t we supposed to be excited to go back to reality? I’m sure you’ve heard the idiom before, but what does it mean and why do we use it? We can relate this saying to our own lives when we are about to end a fun or relaxing time with friends, family, or even ourselves. People dread going back to work, even if they love their jobs. What can we do to make sure we enjoy our work and make our jobs less stressful?
The Bible encourages us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." (Colossians 3:23)
Why do we dread going back to work so much? We have everything we need to be happy there — we have a paycheck, a steady routine, and the ability to build relationships with coworkers. But we often count down the days until the weekend.
"Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare." (Proverbs 20:13)
There are lots of reasons people don’t enjoy going to work because of workplace stress (yes, it is an actual thing). According to estimates, 90 percent of workers are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” from their jobs. Most employees spend “half of their waking lives doing things they really don’t want to do in places they don’t particularly want to be” according to Barry Schwartz, a psychology professor from Swarthmore College.
The Bible warns against laziness: "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth." (Proverbs 10:4)
Schwartz concludes many individuals start off in their occupations being enthusiastic about a “variety of aspirations” that go beyond the paycheck, but eventually they find out that other factors take precedence over those aspirations.
"Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank." (Proverbs 22:29)
You may not love your job, but you’re doing something that needs to be done! Whether it’s changing bed pans for patients or negotiating multi-million-dollar mergers and acquisitions, there will always be grateful for your hard work.
The Bible encourages us to work hard: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
So next time you’re feeling down about going back to work after an amazing vacation or just a quick weekend getaway, try reminding yourself of this: someone is glad that you’re working hard so they can enjoy their life a bit more because of it. Because if nobody were doing it, none of us would enjoy our vacations or anything else we could do.