Understanding the Value of Work

Faith in the Public Square

Lompoc Record

September 2, 2007

As my teenage son likes to remind me, I have a pretty easy job. It's true; my day job doesn't involve much backbreaking or dangerous labor! In spite of this confession, I will take this opportunity to reflect on the meaning of this weekend's annual commemoration - that of the value of labor (this is, after all, Labor Day Weekend).

There is in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures an affirmation of labor's value. The second creation speaks of God placing the man in the Garden to till the soil. Considering the agrarian context of the biblical writer, it's not surprising that the value of tilling the land would be highlighted.

The book of Proverbs, a collection of wise sayings, is also keen on affirming the value of our work. Consider this: “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk leads to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23). And, when some early Christians decided to quit their jobs and wait for the second coming, Paul told them that “anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

That there's virtue to be found in our labor shouldn't be a surprise, since most religions affirm labor's value, for without it life cannot be sustained. Our vocation, as workers, is to contribute (at least in principle) to the common good, each of us bringing to the table the fruit of our labors. This recognition of the value of our work needs to be put into context, however, for there can be a dark side to our labors. For instance, we can become so caught up in our work that we lose sight of the fullness of life and neglect to nurture our relationships with others, including our families.

Although a job can give a person great joy and satisfaction, many people receive little or no satisfaction, for their labor is difficult, unappreciated, and even unrewarded. Some occupations are exceedingly dangerous, as is seen in the recent mining accident in Utah, and even dehumanizing (slavery). Some jobs are back-breaking and yet insufficient to provide food and shelter for one's self or family. Indeed, there's a whole underclass of working poor who find it increasingly difficult to keep up with the costs of living in a country where the gap between the rich and the poor increases every year.

This dark side receives its own biblical commentary. For instance, the book of Ecclesiastes, a piece of Wisdom literature that often provides a flip side to what we read in Proverbs, speaks of the vanity of our labor.

“What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest” (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23).

Such a statement puts things into context. We should value work, but understand that work isn't everything and that our toil isn't always profitable or rewarding.

The American version of Labor Day was born in the 1880s, as labor began to organize and demand that workers receive a day off - a Sabbath, if you will. This weekend we stop to consider the call for better working conditions, livable wages, and the end of dehumanizing jobs. Work has its value, but no one in this country should work 40 hours in a week and still be unable to find suitable shelter or provide food for themselves or their families. It's true that not every job will have the same level of satisfaction or esteem, but no job should be dehumanizing, inhumane, or simply a dead end.As we get ready to celebrate Labor Day, may these words from Chuck Collins, written for Sojourners Magazine in the year 2000 be on our hearts and minds:

“The economic boom has been a bust for people who work for wages. Behind the hoopla, families who depend on a paycheck, not a mutual fund, for their economic security have been stuck with two decades of stagnant wages. The richest 1 percent of the population now owns more than 40 percent of all private wealth, more than the bottom 95 percent of the population combined.”

If we value work then surely we should value those who work.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or c/o First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

September 2, 2007