Problems With Work

The American dream is often thought of by the powerful phrase from the United States Declaration of Independence, which states in part “the preservation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” What the signers of the Declaration of Independence acknowledged is that the preservation of these rights comes from endeavoring through hard work and dedication. Unfortunately, their idea of work has become alienated by modern economy and those who strive to earn more than their fair share without the necessary work to support their aspirations. The book Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Kelley with Katherine Leary Alsdorf captures these exact concepts. The authors explain what God originally meant for work to be, humanity’s modern problems …show more content…
The authors begin the section with the story of Adam and Eve. From their betrayal of God’s command, all humanity comes to know work as a painful endeavor, not because God intended it to be so, but because sin transforms its meaning. Here we learn that work is fruitless because we will always fall short of our goals on earth. Further, work on earth is pointless when considering that all creation will be destroyed at the end of times and that what can be created is limited by social injustice where not all humans can benefit from creation. What these factors lead to is selfishness and idolatry where humans gain identity based on where they work and the lifestyle work provides them. Regrettably, humans often compare themselves to one another by these factors. However, the authors provide a roadmap for what humans can do to change how works affects their …show more content…
The authors discuss how the gospel influences a variety of career fields, from business, to medicine, to arts and higher education. Ultimately, the authors propose that although humans cannot fit into every career field, everyone still participates in God’s work of creation through both Christians and non-Christians cooperating together. Unfortunately, there have been downfalls in human ethics as expressed by the many recessions and corporate bailouts which have become all too common. To counter this, a new compass for work is needed which will guide humans to make moral choices. Thinking about how human work today impacts tomorrow, each of us can grow into positions that allow better choices to be made in the future. All humans have a calling that they need to embrace with the skills and abilities God has delivered. By serving the work we have been provided, we are serving God