The brevity of life is something we have probably all considered at some point, whether we wanted to or not. If you are an average working adult, much of the time in your life is not spent in leisure or time off, but in work. As a matter of fact, working is something that takes up a lot of your time. That is why your job is also referred to as your occupation, because it literally occupies your time.
Consider this common estimation: you will probably spend about 90,000 hours of your only life working at a job. That’s about a third of your time over an average lifespan. So work is not a small part of your life, and it’s not supposed to be. Your career is a large portion of your story and legacy.
That’s why it matters how we work and how we think about our jobs. God does not intend for your job to be a drag. Your job is one of God’s ways of allowing you to experience his gift of a normal pattern of labor and rest.
Solomon actually has a lot to say on the subject.
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:18–20 (ESV)
I was looking over these words with a friend recently, and the last sentence really floored me for an entire day. At first, I felt like Solomon made it sound like God tricks us into rejoicing as we labor through hard work that eventually takes us nowhere. It seemed as if God was saying, “I’m going to distract Grant with joy so he does not know he is actually just wasting his time at work, chasing wind and producing nothing worthwhile.”
But by thinking that this is what Solomon was getting at, we are presupposing that this joy is artificial. If so, we miss the beauty of what Solomon is really saying. God isn’t tricking us into enjoying something meaningless or fleeting. He’s teaching us how to see meaning in what seems ordinary.
This is not fake happiness that helps us to pretend that work is easy and fun. It’s the kind of joy that comes from realizing that every day of work, every meal we eat, every breath we breathe is a gift from God.
So God keeps us occupied with joy. He alone gives us the ability to focus on what is good and right. He has allowed us to enjoy the moment, the process, the grind, and the people around us. Why? Because Jesus is the one who makes it all matter.
When our hearts are occupied with joy, we “will not much remember the days of our life.” That doesn’t mean God gives us amnesia. It means we are so in tune with the Holy Spirit that we no longer remember the past with regret or fear the few days that lie ahead. God’s joy makes time feel unthreatening. The person occupied with God’s joy is too grateful for the grace in each moment to dwell on how quickly time passes.
So how do I let God redirect my thoughts on work? How can I get this joy inside my heart so I can make the best of each moment at my job? Find your satisfaction in Jesus. In this case, Christ is not only the Giver of this joy, but the Gift.
Bee-Attitude
Blessed are those who are occupied with joy, for God himself fills their days with meaning.
Grant Turner is the editor of the Barnesville Buzz and an educator, coach, and writer based in Barnesville, Georgia. He shares stories that bridge community, faith, and personal growth. In addition to teaching and coaching, Grant is Director of Musical Worship and a Sunday School teacher at New Hope Baptist Church in Zebulon, Georgia. He lives in Barnesville with his wife, Haley.
