Work

Every couple months at City Church we do something called “Everyday Doxologist”—you might’ve seen it happen.

During Everyday Doxologist, a member of the church comes up to the front and talks about his or her job: what it involves, what’s enjoyable, what’s hard about it, and how the church can be praying for his or her work.

Up to this point, we’ve only had adult members share about their work, but maybe we should have kids share about their work, too. Because even though kids aren’t going to an office or running a meeting or managing a household, they do have work.

As students.
As teammates. 
As friends.
As members of their families.
As members of God’s family, the body of the church.

In Genesis we see God—the first Worker, the Creator of Order—making the earth, separating light from dark, filling the seas and the ground and the air, making something beautiful and good from nothing. Then He makes Adam and puts him in the garden of Eden “to farm its land and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15, NIRV). Later, God says to Adam—and Eve, she’s there by this point—“Have children so that there will be many of you. Fill the earth and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the seas and the birds in the sky. Rule over every living creature that moves along the ground.” (Genesis 1:28, NIRV) God hands over his newly created world to the people he made in his image and asks them to take care of it—to keep creating beauty and putting things in order.

Guess what? You get to be part of that, too.

When you straighten up your desk or make sure to throw away your trash in the cafeteria at school.
When you help pass out bulletins at church on Sunday afternoon.
When you do your chores.
When you run yet another lap at soccer practice. 
When you read a book to your younger sibling so Mom and Dad can have a minute to get dinner ready.

All of that is work, and all of that matters to God. When you work you are “imaging” God, and that is pleasing to him because you are doing what he made you to do.

Not convinced? Ask your parents how it feels when they see you doing something they taught you how to do—like reading or riding your bike or putting your clothes in the hamper without being asked. The smile on their faces is just a fraction of the happiness God feels when he sees us at work in his creation. Because that was his plan all along. Paul makes this clear in his letter to the Ephesians: “We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIRV)

Try to remember this as you move into this new school year. When work feels hard (which it often does) or boring (which it sometimes is), remember that when you work, God sees you, a beloved creation, taking part in the world he made…and he is delighted.

SAMPLE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank you for making me to work just like you! Help me see why and how the work I do every day is important to you. Please use my work to remind me that you made me in your image. I pray for this in the name of Jesus, the one who worked for us and still works to help us. Amen.