你是否崇拜你的工作？
By Jim Langley
我們工作，但是工作能代表我們是誰嗎？世界上的人的確傾向用我們的職業來定義我們這個人以及我們的價值。當人們第一次見面的時候，最常問或被問到的問題就是：「請問您做甚麼工作？」在很多場合中，這是一個很有用的問題，但在定義我們是誰或他們是誰的時候卻不是。因為這麼做很容易把一個人的工作和他的價值搞混。
崇拜(worship)這個字部分是從價值(worth-ship)來的。價值會吸引我們的注意力和喜好，有價值的事物會吸引我們的注意力。工作很重要，但是它是否值得我們犧牲其他的一切，投入所有的時間精力和資源？
身為一個已經復原的前工作狂，我可以了解這種兩難。早年我被工作消耗以至於生活失去平衡，現在我仍然需要防備這樣的誘惑。現在我已經學會請人幫忙，讓自己能保持生活平衡。
從創世記第三章我們知道，從亞當開始，每個人都要為自己的生計而工作。有些人把它看成是一種咒詛，認為如果不工作的話，生活該有多美好。但是，我認為工作是一種體驗、有意義生活的方式。我發現工作是美好的、令人振奮的，更是充滿成就感的。在創世記3章19節「神說：「你必汗流滿面才得糊口，直到你歸了土，因為你是從土而出的。你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土。」」這句話聽起來不中聽，但卻是我們每天生活的寫照。
我們手中的工作能帶給我們成就感，卻也要防範它成為消耗我們的陷阱。聖經教導我們工作有時，休息有時。傳道書3章1-8節告訴我們：「凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時。生有時，死有時；栽種有時，拔出所栽種的也有時；殺戮有時，醫治有時；拆毀有時，建造有時；哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時；拋擲石頭有時，堆聚石頭有時；懷抱有時，不懷抱有時；尋找有時，失落有時；保守有時，捨棄有時；撕裂有時，縫補有時；靜默有時，言語有時； 喜愛有時，恨惡有時；爭戰有時，和好有時。」
即便是神在工作之後，也要休息。創世記2章2-3節說道：「到第七日， 神造物的工已經完畢，就在第七日歇了他一切的工，安息了。神賜福給第七日，定為聖日；因為在這日， 神歇了他一切創造的工，就安息了。」
神造天地萬物何等奇妙。我們也會想創造一些有永恆價值的事物。當我們完成工作，我們也可以像 神一樣，回頭看看自己做得如何。在傳道書5章18-20節裡，所羅門王做了一個結論說：「工作是神的禮物，它讓我們滿心歡喜。」也因此他繼續在傳道書9章10 節中說：「凡你手所當做的事要盡力去做；因為在你所必去的陰間沒有工作，沒有謀算，沒有知識，也沒有智慧。」
在此同時，我們也必須要面對工作崇拜的挑戰。有時我們太專注於工作以致於讓工作成為我們的神。也因此，神在出埃及記20章3節說：「除我以外，不可有別神。」因為工作也有可能變成我們的神。
我最喜歡的聖經經文之一是歌羅西書3章23-24節，它告訴我們：「無論做甚麼，都要從心裏做，像是給主做的，不是給人做的，因你們知道從主那裏必得著基業為賞賜；你們所事奉的乃是主基督。」我們手中的工作不代表我們是誰。神最關心的是我們以及祂和我們的關係。
Jim Langley從事人壽健康保險業已經超過30年了。最近幾年，他熱心於將自己與神的關係書寫出來，目的是要鼓勵其他人更加親近神。他也是CBMC的長期會員，在2014年時，他開始寫作「四分衛策略」(Fourth Quarter Strategies)。
反省與問題討論
當你審視自己時，你會用工作評價自己嗎？有的話，有多少比重？你和別人又是怎麼看你這個人呢？ 你是否有時會崇拜工作？或者你曾經掙扎過為了工作要犧牲其他的一切呢？ 你覺得把工作當成神崇拜是否是很常見的事？在你觀察自己或其他人的生活時，這樣的狀況很常發生嗎？ 在生活的各個層面，包括工作、敬拜和服事和其他，你覺得我們應該要如何建立和維持一個平衡的生活呢？
備註: 如果你手上有聖經，希望閱讀更多關於這個主題的經文，請參考：
箴言 16章1-3節
16:1心中的謀算在乎人；舌頭的應對由於耶和華。
16:2人一切所行的，在自己眼中看為清潔；惟有耶和華衡量人心。
16:3你所做的，要交託耶和華，你所謀的，就必成立。
哥林多前書 3章12-15節
3:12 若有人用金、銀、寶石、草木、禾秸在這根基上建造，
3:13 各人的工程必然顯露，因為那日子要將它表明出來，有火發現；這火要試驗各人的工程怎樣。3:14 人在那根基上所建造的工程若存得住，他就要得賞賜。
3:15 人的工程若被燒了，他就要受虧損，自己卻要得救；雖然得救，乃像從火裏經過的一樣。
哥林多前書10章31節
10:31 所以，你們或吃或喝，無論做甚麼，都要為榮耀 神而行。
以弗所書4章15-16節
4:15 惟用愛心說誠實話，凡事長進，連於元首基督，
4:16 全身都靠他聯絡得合式，百節各按各職，照著各體的功用彼此相助，便叫身體漸漸增長，在愛中建立自己。
帖撒羅尼迦前書 5章12-14節
5:12 弟兄們，我們勸你們敬重那在你們中間勞苦的人，就是在主裏面治理你們、勸戒你們的；
5:13 又因他們所做的工，用愛心格外尊重他們。你們也要彼此和睦。
5:14 我們又勸弟兄們，要警戒不守規矩的人，勉勵灰心的人，扶助軟弱的人，也要向眾人忍耐。
DO YOU WORSHIP YOUR WORK?
By Jim Langley
Work is what we do, but is it really who we are? There is a common tendency to derive much of our sense of identity and worth from our vocations. Often in meeting someone, one of the first questions we ask (or they ask us) is, “What kind of work do you do?” This is a valid question in many instances, but not if used to define who we are – or how we perceive others. It can be too easy to confuse work with worship.
The word “worship” in part comes from “worth-ship” – what is worthy of our attention and adoration, what holds the greatest worth in our eyes. Work is important, but is it worthdevoting all our time, energy and resources to it at the expense of everything else?
Being a recovering workaholic myself, I can understand this dilemma. Earlier in my life I would become consumed with what I was doing and lose balance in life. I still need to guard against this temptation; I have learned to ask others to hold me accountable for keeping my life in proper balance.
In Genesis 3, we learn that starting with Adam, everyone must work for their livelihood. Some people see this as a curse, thinking life would be much better without having to work. However, I believe this sets a pattern for experiencing a meaningful life. I have always found work to be good, invigorating and fulfilling. In Genesis 3:19, God states, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” This might not be the message we would prefer to hear, but that is our everyday reality.
Just as the work of our hands can be fulfilling, it can also be consuming – a trap to guard against. The Bible teaches there is a time for work and a time for rest. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…a time to tear down and a time to build…a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them…a time to search and a time to give up….”
Even God has a time to work and a time to rest. Genesis 2:2-3 states, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all the work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
God”s handiwork in all He has created is amazing. In our own way, we also want to create something of value that will last. Once we complete a task well-done, we can look back and see it is good, just as God did. In Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, Solomon concluded that work is a “gift of God” and it gives us a “gladness of heart.” Because of this, he said in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” There is a certain urgency here; we should consider the work God has assigned to us while there is still time to do it.
At the same time, we must confront the potential challenge of worshipping the work we do. We can become so focused on the work itself that it can become our god. This is one reason God gave His first commandment in Exodus 20:3. He declared, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This includes our work.
One of my favorite Bible passages is Colossians 3:23-24, which reminds us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Work is what we do, but not who we are. God is most concerned with who we are and His relationship with us.
Jim Langley has been writing for more than 30 years while working as a life and health insurance agent. In recent years, his passion has turned to writing about his personal relationship with God. His goal is to encourage others to draw near to Him as well. A long-time member of CBMC, he started writing “Fourth Quarter Strategies” in 2014.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
How much is your work a part of how you think of yourself, of who you are in your own eyes – and the eyes of others? Do you worship your work, at least at times? If not now, has there ever been a time when you have struggled with a temptation to worship the work you do at the expense of everything else? Why do you think it can be easy to turn work into a god? How often have you observed this happening, whether in your life or in the lives of others? In what ways do you think we can establish and maintain a proper balance between our work, other areas of our lives – and especially our worship and service to God?
NOTE: If you would like to look at or discuss other portions of the Bible that relate to this topic, consider the following passages: Proverbs 16:1-3; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 10:31; Ephesians 4:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14
