你未來的異象

這是非常有問題的，因為我們的工作佔了我們許多時間。此外，不論對或錯，我們的工作對我們如何看待自己（我們的自我價值感）有重大的影響。若你不喜歡那佔據你一大部份生活的工作，無可避免地，這將形塑你的態度和全面的人生觀。

可能你也是這些不滿意之人中的一個，但卻變得認命。你可能會想：「我有帳單要付！」或者「工作是必要惡！」這些是許多人的想法，但問題可能是缺乏異象。聖經舊約中的箴言29章18節說：「沒有異象，民就放肆。」這個真理有許多應用，包括若人們對自己的未來缺乏異象（願景），就會陷入沉悶的現在。

有一個解決方法是去找一個新工作。但許多時候這是說比做容易。不好的態度常常從一個工作也跟著轉移到下一個工作。你也可以藉著重新界定自己的工作，改變你的責任使它們更符合你的興趣，來使你更享受你的工作。這是可能的。第三種，可能也是較好的方法可能是擁抱一個新的異象去執行你現在的工作。

有一個常常被提到的故事說有三個工人一起砌磚。當被問到他們在做什麼時，第一個人回答說：「砌磚。」第二個人回答得多了一點雄心：「建築一道牆。」但第三個人顯示出有真正的異象：「我正在建造一座用來敬拜上帝的教堂。」

談到工作，我們常用vocation（職業）這個英文字，這是源自一個拉丁文，而那拉丁文的意思是：「呼召」。若我們每天都用「異象」這個心態開始，想到我們在追求我們的呼召，不論那是永久或暫時的任務，會如何？如同有人已觀察到，若你在現在的位置都無法好好地服事上帝，在你所不在的位置絕對無法服事祂。

以下是聖經對你如何能為你的未來捕捉到一個嶄新的、新鮮的異象所提供的一些建議：

了解誰是你真正的「老闆」。我們有一個非常自然的傾向，以為我們是為我們機構的領袖，或付我們薪水的人工作。聖經提出一個不同的觀點。「無論作什麼，或說話或行事，都要奉主耶穌的名…都要從心裡作，像是給主作的，不是給人作的…你們所事奉的乃是主基督」（歌羅西書3章17-24）。

永遠盡你所能做到最好。若你非常欽佩並尊敬的人要求你去做一件非常重要的事，你是否會盡你所能做到最好？聖經說上帝已為我們做了這些。「我們原是他的工作，在基督耶穌裡造成的，為要叫我們行善，就是神所預備叫我們行的」（以弗所書2章10節）。

想像你能發揮的影響力。就像前述的砌磚人，即使很小，似乎世俗的工作也能有極大的意義，若我們了解我們正在一個偉大、可能改變生命的事業中扮演一個關鍵的角色。「因為我們是與神同工的；你們是神所耕種的田地，所建造的房屋」（哥林多前書3章9節）

This is very problematic because our professions or vocations fill many hours of our week. In addition, right or wrong, our work has a major effect on how we perceive ourselves – our sense of self-worth. If you do not like the job that consumes a large portion of your life, inevitably this will greatly shape your attitude and overall outlook.

Perhaps you are among these dissatisfied people but have become resigned to your “fate”: “I have bills to pay!” you might be thinking, or “Work is just a necessary evil, right?” That is what many people think, but perhaps the problem is a matter of limited vision. In the Bible”s Old Testament, Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” There are many applications for this truth, including the reality that if people lack vision for what their future could be, they often remain mired in a dismal present.

One solution might be to find a new job. But many times that is more easily said than done. Poor attitudes often shift from one job to the next, as well. You could try to make your job more enjoyable by redefining it, changing your responsibilities so they align more closely to your interests. That may be possible. A third and perhaps better alternative might be to embrace a new vision for carrying out the job you have.

The story is often told about three bricklayers working side by side. When asked what they were doing, the first replied, “Setting bricks.” The second answered a bit more ambitiously, “Building a wall.” But the third showed true vision when he responded, “I am building a cathedral for the worship of God.”

Talking about work, we often use the term “vocation,” which is derived from a Latin word and literally means “calling.” What if we started each day with the mindset – the vision – that we were pursuing our calling, whether it was a permanent or temporary assignment? As someone has observed, if you cannot do a proper job of serving God where you are, you definitely cannot serve Him where you are not.

Here are a few suggestions from the Bible on how you can capture a new, fresh vision for your future:

Understand who your “boss” really is. We have a very natural tendency to assume we are working for the head of our organization, or the one that signs our paycheck. The Bible offers a different perspective. “And whatever you do, whether in word of deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:17-24).

Never fail to do your best. If someone you greatly admired and respected asked you to perform a very important duty, would you give it your best effort? The Bible says God has done that for us. “For we are God”s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Imagine the impact you can have. Like the bricklayer cited above, even small, seemingly mundane tasks can take on great significance if we understand we are playing a key role in a grand, potentially life-changing enterprise. “For we are God”s fellow workers; you are God”s field, God”s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. He has written Tufting Legacies; Business At Its Best; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd”s Heart with Ken Johnson; and with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring.