How do you define work? An undesirable task? A paid activity? Force times distance?
How we define work significantly influences our approach and response to our daily activities. If work is merely an undesirable task, joy can only be found in its completion (not the process). If only paid activities are considered work, then much of what we do on a daily basis may be considered "unrewarding". If W=F•d, as defined by Physics, most of us do little to no work every day (though honestly, I do much more of this "work" hauling around a toddler than I ever did in either my clinical or research residencies).
Our definitions should be based on Truth, which we (as Christians) discover through God's word. What does the Bible say about work?
Perhaps one of the most well-known verses on work is, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters (Colossians 3:23)." This passage destroys each of the previous definitions. Work is not an undesirable task, a paid activity, or the movement of an object with force. Work is whatever productive thing we find ourselves to do, and more: work is an opportunity to worship.
As Hannah Anderson points out, work does not occur solely outside (or inside) the home. "Being women who work imago dei means being women who are productive and sacrificial wherever we are because our God is productive and sacrificial everywhere that He is... Ultimately working imago dei means understanding that all work is sacred, all ground, holy; not because of what the task is but because of who we are imaging."
Does your "position" define your view of work (i.e. are you a businesswoman, a professor, a physician, or a stay at home Mom)? In what ways can God redeem your understanding of work as serving Him and others, rather than trying to "achieve" some preconceived goal?
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