The global pandemic has affected virtually all of us, and although the dire warnings about the disease had ended, the effects of the pandemic were still being felt many months after public health officials declared the crisis over. All this affected the labor market.
At the peak of the pandemic, many restaurants and retail stores were forced to close. At businesses that remained open, employees often worked at home on a computer. Before COVID-19, most businesses had no problem filling positions when needed. However, since the end of the pandemic, many employers have struggled to find workers.
“Help Wanted” signs were everywhere. At some restaurants, customers were greeted with signs: “Please be patient. We have few employees. Be grateful to those who are willing to work." Several years later this problem is still present. There are many reasons for this employment gap, but we will not go into them now. One thing is for sure: we live in strange times when in some fields there are more vacancies than people willing to fill them. When people have a financial safety net thanks to government subsidies, they are less motivated to return to work. In the Bible, in the Old Testament, in the Book of Proverbs 16:26 it is wisely noted: “The worker works for himself, because his mouth compels him to do so.”
As this modern attitude towards work continues, we may have to create new methods to motivate people. One way is to reaffirm the old truth that it is important to find nobility in work. Whether we are employers, bosses or leaders, we must ensure that our employees perceive and appreciate this nobility. Here are some biblical principles to consider:
The work was in God's design from the beginning. According to the biblical creation account, after the Triune God created mankind “in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), His first instructions were that people work. “And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed that is on all the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed; “It will be food for you…” (Genesis 1:28-29).
As a result of disobedience, work became difficult. All was well until Adam and Eve violated God's command by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The result of their rebellion, which the Bible calls “sin,” was God’s declaration: “…cursed is the earth because of you; you will eat from it in sorrow all the days of your life; She will bring forth thorns and thistles for you; and you will eat the grass of the field; By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:17-19).
The work can be hard, but rewarding for the work. To find nobility in our work, we must answer several important questions: “Why do we work?” and “Who do we ultimately serve?” The answers to these questions are found in several places in Scripture, including Colossians 3:17, 23–24. It is written: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, [do] everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father... And whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that as a reward from the Lord you will receive an inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.”
Through our work we serve our clients, employers and, ultimately, God. They all deserve our best treatment.
Copyright 2023, Non-Traditional Business Network. Adapted with permission from UBN Integrity Moments. Visit: www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a ministry of faith in action for the international small business community.
Questions for reflection/discussion
NOTE. If you have a Bible and want to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 12:11, 14:23, 18:9, 22:29, 24:30-34; Ecclesiastes 9:7-10; 1 Corinthians 3:9
