The long view shows that AI is not the first thing to disrupt how we think about work. Robotics, globalization, the Industrial Revolution, even the commoditization of labor itself, have pushed us to think about work, dignity, and self-fulfillment. As we mark another Labor Day, I pray for those who are fortunate to have jobs they love, for those who have jobs they don’t love but the money’s good, for those who scrape by, and for those who are in a tough spot.
Ecclesiastes (a difficult book!) has a recurring theme regarding labor. This refrain first appears in chapter 2 verse 24: “There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.” The same thought, with slight variations, repeats at least nine times throughout Ecclesiastes, as though it keeps the writer grounded while pondering many other things.
Perhaps we place too much emphasis on finding the “right” job. Maybe we aren’t doomed if we don’t match what some test tells us “fits” the kind of person we are and what “gifts” we have. The simple wisdom of Ecclesiastes de-complicates the purpose of work, more toward what we used to call “making a living”, allowing us to be okay in a range of circumstances.
That the food, clothing and shelter which work provides is “from the hand of God” suggests it’s for supporting something other than wealth-building or leverage, something without which we truly can’t enjoy the work or its fruit. Ecclesiastes 12:13 gives us a clue: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Work should be done in full consideration of God’s life instructions, as Colossians 3:22-25 evokes. Of course, the trick is learning what in the world God’s way actually is.
Sometimes I wonder if we need fewer preachers and more normal people who truly follow God at home, at school, on the road, and yes – at work. Maybe take some time this Labor Day weekend to reflect on how much you know about what God wants and how His way lines up with your way of working. I hope it helps you enjoy life, including work, much more.
Dr. Carl Grosse is an ordained pastor and the author of Faith Along the Way, a weekly reflection for KnoxTNToday that encourages readers to discover God’s presence in everyday life and share His love with others.
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