Work is love made visible. Is work really that big of a deal?

Work is love made visible.

And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste,

it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple

and take alms of those who work with joy.

For if you bake bread with indifference, you bake a bitter bread

that feeds but half man's hunger.

And if you grudge the crushing of grapes,

your grudge distills a poison in the wine.

And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing,

you muffles man's ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night.

All work is empty save when there is love;

and when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself,

and to one another and to God.

                                 -KAHILL GIBRAN, THE PROPHET

All too often we go through our lives doing work that pays the bills. The concept of doing work we love doesn’t seem to make sense because if that were true it wouldn’t be called work. Well what would we call work if we did something we enjoyed? During the late 1800's in Australia there was this new concept that called for a shorter work day. Men were getting tired of working 10-14 hours per day. It wasn’t about the pay they were receiving but rather their free time. So they came up with this concept:

• 8 Hours Work
• 8 Hours Recreation Time
• 8 Hours Rest

Now with that concept in mind, does it seem like they loved their work? If they truly loved their work they would not have pushed to work less but rather work more. The word “work” almost seems like a dirty word in that we do it out of necessity. Just imagine going up to someone like Jesus and telling him he can only work 8 hours per day. Yes I said Jesus, the Son of God who was sent to this world to forgive us of our sins. How much could Jesus have accomplished in an 8 hour day? How many fewer miracles would have been performed and what would God have thought about His Son serving his purpose for 1/3 of a given day? We are children of God, how does God feel about the work you are doing? Are you using the natural gifts and strengths he has given to you?

Would Jesus have been a different person while at work than He was in his free time? This brings me to wonder if you are a different person while you are at work rather than at home or around friends and family? How are you different? Are you nicer to people at work than you are to your spouse or children or is it the opposite? What steps are you willing to take to fulfill your God given purpose?

Profit from Purpose, You deserve it!

Source of Kahill Gibran quote: Dan Miller author of 48 DAYS TO THE WORK YOU LOVE