“Are you working to live or living to work?” This was the question posed by a facilitator at a seminar I attended recently, and it really got me thinking. Before you read any further if you have never thought about this, please take a few minutes to do so. Upon reflection, you may come to the realisation that the way you live and work emanates from your answer to this question.
The answer to this question sheds light, in my opinion, on the work ethics that pervades every sector of the economy in every nation. I had the privilege of interviewing some women who work in the development sector for a book project I was working on, and there was one major challenge they were having; poor work ethic. Although the pay cheque is not as high as what obtains in the private sector, I don’t think that should be a justification for people to work below expectation.
The fact that people in the private sector are highly paid does not mean they have the right attitude to work either.
So what is work ethics and what has it got to do with the theme DNA and Instinct? These are a set of values based on the ideals of hard work and discipline. This is where the phrase “work smart, not hard” makes me wonder as, I feel, it is in conflict with work ethics. It also brings to mind another question; what is work?
When I was much younger, I used to hear that work is a curse brought on us by Adam and Eve. If they hadn’t sinned, we would all still be eating and merry making in the Garden of Eden. I haven’t heard anyone say that anymore but and it is the philosophy of most peoples’ work ethics. ‘I don’t have any other choice; I have to work to eat’; hence the need to try to beat the system by working ‘sharp’ and not hard. If you are in this category you are working to live, and you are living your life totally upside down.
Working to live means working in a position other than your heavenly mandate; what this means is you have chosen a job or career because of what you will eat.
This plays out in our teachers not teaching well; in nasty rather than compassionate nurses and doctors, in people lazing about at work and rushing to finish their work at the close of day; in going to church during work hours; in leaders who squander resources; in mass corruption from the highest echelons of government to ordinary, everyday people and the list goes on. It also plays out in parents forcing their children into careers they are not cut out for and in successful but insignificant and unhappy people in different spheres of life. These are the consequences of the drive for consumption and survival.
Working “outside of Mandate” is what makes hard work sound so gruelling. On the other hand, living to work is a life driven by service.
Dear reader, you were created in God’s image, which does not involve lazing around or working ‘sharp’. When God created man, He breathed into him the spirit of life and man became a living being. Note the emphasis on the word living here as opposed to surviving. You only start living when you are living to work; working as God’s partner here on earth, bringing His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
This is the place where hard work is not arduous but enjoyable. This is what makes a man significant over and above being successful.
So how do you get to the place of living to work?
- Go back to the drawing board with the Lord and ask Him what His plans for your life are. Don’t try to fit Him into your plans but ask Him how you fit into His plans.
- Ask Him, like Solomon did, for the wisdom to carry out the task He has placed in your DNA to carry out
- Ask Him for hearing ears, seeing eyes, an understanding heart and the grace to obey and remain steadfast
Imagine what Nigeria would be like if we were all in our mandated places bringing God glory in every sphere of the economy. This is the Nigeria of my dreams. Nigeria will flourish again!