Grant Cyster on enjoying the work we do

Grant Cyster

Have you ever thought about what heaven must be like? Imagine sitting on your sofa, changing channels on your personal IMAX movie theatre with a blink of the eye, thinking of snacks and drinks and having them magically appear right next to you, and messes that clean themselves up. Or how about endless spas and beauty treatments that linger for as long as you want them to, eating endless amounts of ice-cream or chocolate without putting on one ounce or developing a single cavity. Hmmm...it all sounds so wonderful, doesn't it? We might find ourselves quite surprised however.

Jesus came to this earth in order to usher in the eternal kingdom of God upon the planet...a breaking in of the rule and reign of God that is a foretaste of the eternal world yet to be fully revealed, that lies beyond the natural realm that we are now familiar with. It makes sense that the nature of this future kingdom would be alluded to by the principles and traits that it's Ruler embraces and values. Consider the fruits of the Spirit of God. These are the virtues that ought to be increasingly cultivated in the lives of those who embark on a life of surrender to God. They are the virtues that encapsulate the nature of the God we place our faith in and ascribe worship to. As we survey this list of fruits, we'll come across one right at the end, known as self-control. This should come as no surprise, because a reading of Scripture will challenge us time and time again to recognise the value that God places on work, and on related traits like diligence and discipline.

In the book of Proverbs, the world's wisest man encourages us to consider the ant, and to be wise. The ant has no master, but it stores up its food and goes about its business with gusto just the same. Elsewhere in the book of wisdom we are told that all hard work brings a profit, and that mere talk leads only to poverty. Solomon repeatedly warns of the folly of the sluggard, and encourages us regarding the blessings of the diligent. Consider the nature of the created universe and how it came into being. Consider the lives of the apostles, or the life of Jesus himself. These were people who knew all too well the meaning of work, and they displayed no hesitation in embracing it. It is, after all, how things that we see came to be out of visions that we cannot, flowing into existence from the creative mind and hands of God. If work is important to God in scripture, can we really expect it to be unimportant in His everlasting kingdom that we look forward to? I think not. No more than we can walk in hate and resentment here on earth now, and expect to feel perfectly at home in the realm of sweet forgiveness and mercy then. The degree to which I am ready to enjoy the wonders of heaven depends on the degree to which I have embraced and valued the nature of God, not the degree to which God has forsaken His nature to accommodate me. Thank God for grace.

Now this is not to be understood as a mindless striving to earn from God the acceptance that we already receive through His wonderful generosity. The recognition of the value of work, and the pleasure (yes, the pleasure) that can be derived from engaging in it, come from an awareness and understanding of the beauty of God that transforms us from within. It is this transformation towards Christ-likeness from which self-control has its origin. It is the only way in which work can not only be truly enjoyed, but also healthily sustained. We all need something that we can set our hands and minds to. Something that challenges us and that inspires us. Something that requires tenacity and creativity. We were created for work, among other things...the kind of work through which satisfaction and purpose can be kindled and matured. It is the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a task that required dedication and commitment. It is the feeling of pleasure we get from applying ourselves and reaching goals that we never thought were possible to us. These are moments that matter in our lives now, and they will matter in our lives with our Father then...once we pass through the veil of death and find ourselves in His loving arms.

Work is not a swear word. It is not a curse. If understood correctly, it can be an amazing blessing and tool that fills our lives with meaning, and makes us more like God. Like Father, like child...one Creator to another. Let's get to it.