It's that double Sunday night anxiety that would often get me. You know what I am talking about, right? First, it is the thought that the next day (Monday, dreaded Monday) is coming quickly, along with all of the work that was left undone on Friday. Second, it is the lament of "Where did the weekend go?" It seems as if every clock we have laughs at us on the weekend, taunting us by showing just how fast they can go.
Maybe thats a tad dramatic. Maybe.
We tend to have a strained relationship with work. When it comes to our occupation, some days we watch the clock impatiently and barely make it though the end of the day. (Hey clock, where is that weekend speed when we need you on a Tuesday afternoon?!) When it comes to work at home, there is always something to be done. Laundry piles grow bigger while we watch and dust bunnies seem to multiply when we don't.
But there is also the feeling of satisfaction when that project is finally finished. It was completed. The problem was solved. A sense of accomplishment fills us and- maybe- a sense of winning a battle. At the end of it all we can say that it was good.
"Good." Hmmmmmm. Can work really be good? When it so often seems like punishment, can work actually be helpful, satisfying, and good? What is the purpose of work? What does God think about work?
The answer to those questions can be found in a simple phrase spoken at the dawn of our existence: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good..." (Genesis 1:31)
Work is intended to be good. Not “average” or “tolerable,” but good. Soul nourishing good. Creating beauty in an ugly world good. Knowing the pleasure of God good. Just as God created then stood back and enjoyed all that he had done, we can join him in work that is- in the best possible, non-selfish sense- good.