Work & Glorious Exhaustion

I like to consider myself a hard worker. Even when I have an off day, I fight to make myself feel productive. Yes, days off and Sabbaths are important, but even the simplest of chores brings joy to my heart.

While some people might see work as burden, I find it to be a joy. But not always. Sometimes laziness or tiredness hits and I want to do anything but work.

The Christian/Biblical worldview of work always linked to Genesis 3:17-19. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, sin against God and as God lays out the punishments for Adam, he says this:

“Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat of the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; dust you are and to dust you will return.”

…Well, that’s brutal.

Might as well have just said that work was going to suck and that it will wear you down to eventually be the death of you. Yikes.

Now this is what the Bible says, yet so many people view work in this way and they don’t have a Christian or Biblical worldview. There is no, “this is what God says” lens that they see the world through.

I understand it. A lot of people work jobs that they hate for either not enough money , just enough money or too much money.

But I genuinely believe that work was not meant to be so deadly. The curse that is brought up in those verses is the pain and wear it brings upon us physically, psychologically, and spiritually, in that order.

Our bodies breakdown so our minds breakdowns which leads to a slow death of the soul.

So how do we get out of this reckless cycle of internal and external destruction of our lives as we do what is necessary to provide for ourselves and our families?

We switch it up. Why?

We. Have. It. Backwards.

The work itself is not a curse. Work is a gift. You know what’s a curse? Idle hands. Ask anyone longing for a job, apply for every opportunity and struggling to survive.

The toll work takes is a curse. Not the work itself.

Even the Christian/Biblical worldview even confirms this in Genesis 2:15!

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

Before sin, before the fall, before rebellion, work was a gift of dominion and ownership. That’s why people like Jocko Willink can write a book titled Extreme Ownership and people become inspired by it. It ignites something within our souls. A deep longing for the true meaning of work. And that’s the key…

Work is always seen from the perspective of physical or mental/psychological.

Have you ever thought that work needs to be viewed from a spiritual perspective first?

Maybe work is more than just what we do with our hands or the problems we solve in ours minds…

What if work, even with the wear and tear, is the doorway to inspiration, creativity, purpose, and so much more that’s been lacking in our lives?

If we change our perspectives of work, our purpose and approach changes. Our heart changes. Not just work, but working hard, brings a satisfaction that only gives us a glimpse into the original purpose of work.

This why people, myself included, chase after every new productivity system or waiting for the latest app. The more we produce, the more satisfaction we get.

But to me, the real satisfaction doesn’t come with how much content I churn out. The real satisfaction comes when I lay my head on the pillow at night completely worn out and ready to enjoy the rest I have earned.

I call this Glorious Exhaustion.

Have your every experienced it? Everything aches, your mind is tired, and your eyes almost refuse to stay open. It makes sleep and rest the most valuable commodity.

I want to encourage you to give it a shot. Work your tail off.

When you workout your body, work as if your life depended on it.

Spend time with your spouse, your children and your family as if you may never spend time with them again.

When in conversation with people, actively listen to them as if the words they are sharing are gold.

Read books and listen to podcasts with an attention that anticipates the secrets to the success and life you want.

Clean and organize your space as if the most important appointment of your life is happening at your house or office.

Work yourself to glorious exhaustion. I promise you will find a greater satisfaction in your life and work when you lay your head on your pillow at night.

“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 no planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” – Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV