Never Go to "Work" Again

Michael Zigarelli

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Here's a powerful exercise.  Try it in earnest and you may be surprised by what you learn.

Think about this for a moment: What are the first things that come to mind when you say the words "I’m going to work"?

Go ahead, say that out loud and take note of your mental reaction.  It may be a generally positive or negative reaction.  Or it may be a mere apathetic reaction, like just another thing on the to-do list.  But give this a try: what comes to mind when you say the words "I’m going to work"?  Your first reaction in this exercise is likely the most accurate indicator.

Whatever you reaction, notice something: the word "work" carries with it a whole lot of baggage—baggage that can drive our thoughts, our attitudes, and our behaviors on the job; baggage that can actually keep us imprisoned in a secular perspective about the daily ministry God has given to us.

That's bad.  So bad, in fact, that it may time for many of us Christians to strike the word "work" from our vocabulary entirely.  Framing matters because as we think, so we do.

Changing how we frame things can instantly change our experience with those things.  For instance if we say on Sunday morning that we’re going to "worship," that can facilitate a much more transforming experience than if we say we're going to "church."  Been there?  I have.  And frankly, I'll never go back to "church" again.

In the same way, perhaps we Christians should never go to "work" again.  What if tomorrow, instead of saying (and thinking) "I'm going to work," you said (and thought) "I’m going to ministry"?  How would that reframing of your day affect your day?  How might that change your mindset, your priorities, and your behaviors on the job?  How might it change your joy, your productivity and your witness?

Take this a step further, while you’re at it.  Instead of thinking "I’m an employee," what if you thought "I’m an ambassador."  "Employee" conjures up notions of an exchange, doesn’t it?  I perform tasks for money; I owe labor to my employer and my employer, in turn, owes me money.  "Ambassador," by contrast, annihilates this secular, transactional mindset and replaces it with an image of messenger on a mission.  As an "ambassador," I’ve been tapped for an important assignment by God.  I’m called to represent Him in this workplace.

Like I said: as we think, so we do.  Maybe that's one of the reasons why the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12 that being a "living sacrifice" begins with the "renewing of [our] mind."  If you're wanting your job to get better—to be more meaningful and more fulfilling—maybe it's time to stop daydreaming about the perfect job and start experiencing it today.

Why not experiment with this reframing for yourself?  You're not an employee at work. You're an ambassador with a ministry.