Letters to my Children MarketPlace - Work

Dear Mark, Christina, Melissa, Robbie, Keith and Tiffany -

In a previous letter, I briefly explained the concept of Marketplace. This letter continues the Marketplace theme with an emphasis on work. 

It's important that we seriously consider work and Marketplace because most of us spend more time at work that we do on any other responsibility in our Marketplace. I was amused at several comments I received shortly after retiring from NC State. I will paraphrase the questions as this, "Now that you are retired you don't have to work, and you can do anything you want to do, right?" Notice the implication that work is not fun and work is something you can eventually stop. 

Work is Good

I am amused by this question because I have always enjoyed work. Some would say that I'm a workaholic, and if so, that is a negative. I enjoyed my experiences at Temple Inland and was sad when that period of my life ended. In hindsight, being asked to resign and then retiring (from Temple Inland) five years later at the age of 50 was a good thing. After I left Temple and went to NC State, I learned that there is more to life than making paper.  Work is good. 

Work is a Part of God's Plan 

I believe that Genesis is real and not just a story. God created Adam and Eve and gave them three things to do: populate the earth, take care of creation and work. These commands were given prior to man's sin, they have not been rescinded, and they still apply to mankind today. Work is good and is a necessary part of God's plan for mankind.

What is Included in the Command to Work?

Create something of value that someone is willing to pay for. The various economic systems in the world are a part of God’s plan.

Be creative and innovative. The creativity that man enjoys has allowed us to create a world not imaginable just a century ago. Some would say that this creativity has gone far enough. Of course people said the same thing about the radio and the TV. From my perspective, the Internet and social media are as important as the Roman system of roads when we consider how the gospel will be spread around the world in the next few years.

Work is Hard

I also believe that work became much more difficult after Adam sinned. God placed a curse on creation after Adam sinned and told Adam that work would be difficult. I don’t know of too many jobs that are easy. In most parts of the world, people have to work long hours and very hard to earn a living. Even in the U.S., many jobs require 9-10 hours per day.

Work should be Great Place.

Work should be a great place. It should be a place that provides contentment, satisfaction and encouragement from others. Sadly this is not always the case. Many companies take advantage of their employees both, hourly and salaried, and have expectations beyond which they're willing to pay. I believe that companies who take advantage of employees by expecting long hours without adequate pay are abusing their employees. With the coming labor shortage, companies that take advantage of employees will find themselves without good employees and will either change their management style or go out of business.

Faith and Work and marketplace

Much has recently been written about the workplace being the greatest mission field in the world. This makes sense when we consider our Marketplace as being the place God placed us to carry out His command to Go and make disciples. Work is the component of our marketplace where we know the largest number of people and where we spend the most time. It is probably the place where people know us the best. Because I did not understand Marketplace until recently and because I tend to minimize relationships, I missed many opportunities to meet needs of people working around me and to share the gospel with them.

Balance requires a Personal Plan

My final though on work and Marketplace is balance. There is more to life than work. We must balance our responsibilities in all the components of our Marketplace. There are only 24 hours in a day. If we give too much time to work, we will neglect another responsibility in our Marketplace. The first thing we neglect is that personal relationship with God through prayer and Bible study. The second is our personal health and the third is family. For me a Personal Plan (written and updated at least quarterly) is the best way for me to remain balanced. I first wrote a Personal Plan in 1996 and have kept it current since then.

There is much more to be said about work, but that is enough for now.