Tim Keller's definition of work: "the creative expenditure of energy for the purpose of human flourishing."
So, last night I went to a Tim Be Told concert!! It was such a treat to listen to the music live. It's been about a year and a half since I've seen a band perform live (senior year spring fling?), and I forgot how much I love the sound of hearing a bass guitar make your body/heart feel like its vibrating, and the beauty of different keyboard/guitar harmonies melding together to form a sum greater than its parts. AND I partially swooned because I got to shake Tim's hand after the concert! Yep, a few of my small group friends attend the same home church as Tim, so I got to meet him in person :)
BUT the real blessing on top of all that was to see them up on stage passionately, full-heartedly, and creatively serving God with their musical gifts.
I sometimes feel so distant from the "creative expenditure of energy" when I sit in a cubicle all day, conducting market research, interviewing people on the phone, making pretty slides (like I'm doing tonight...). It was so refreshing to get away from all of that and see such an obvious/pure form of worship through work.
I guess the best thing I can hope for in my current situation is working for the purpose of "human flourishing," which comes through the day to day interactions with people that I see and talk to... Until one day, I can finally discover a job/type of work/passion that allows me to serve as purely/full-heartedly with my gifts as those guys last night.
I have been really really blessed by the Vision Campaign we've been going through at Redeemer, and two weeks ago in small group, we discussed Tim Keller's latest sermon on "Hope For Your Work."
Two thoughts stuck with me that I really wanted to share:
- It's interesting that all of us have beef at our jobs- something that we claim prevents us from completely glorifying God through our work. Whether its the impossibly long hours, annoying co-workers, pressure from our boss, work that's intellectually or emotionally unsatisfying... I can think of a million excuses that I have used to explain away my not caring about keeping a joyful attitude at work or showing love to my co-workers. But if Jesus is really our example, he was able to work in the most unfavorable type of work environment- people scoffing at him, rejecting and mocking him, enduring all types of physical and emotional pain, even to the point of death.
- And what inspired Jesus to work wholeheartedly for the Lord, even in the most wretched conditions? Hebrews 12:2- "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." And what is this joy? It was for our sake that he worked- his joy was the future expectation of our reconciled relationship with God. And that should be (but so often is not) why we work- to see the people in our lives reconciled back to God, for them to experience his love and grace through us.
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In other work-related news, PwC Advisory (the consulting division that I work in) just laid off 6% of its staff (around 260 people) last Thursday and Friday. This came as a pretty big shock, given that we were named as one of the "Top 100 Employers of the Year" because of our "no lay-off" policy that was stated at the beginning of the year. It was even harder coming into work this morning and hearing that some people in our tiny Strategy group are bearing the impact as well. For the first time, I've encountered the feeling of job insecurity that the rest of America has been experiencing over the course of this tumultuous year. Having the impact of the recession finally hit so close to home is quite an unsettling feeling indeed....
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One final note. I know I haven't regularly updated this blog since high school... but after being really encouraged through reading through the blogs of other friends, I figured this would be a good way to keep in touch, and in some tiny way, give back a little bit of the encouragement I have so generously received from others.
thanks so much for coming out last weekend and celebrating my birthday with me. it was definitely a lovely surprise, and i can't believe that you guys trekked through torrential rain/wind/cold to come out!! it really meant a lot to me to see so many people i love in one place.
having everyone gathered together, eating home-made cheesecake (thanks steve!), and playing a mean game of celebrity taboo definitely brought back warm memories from college dorm-room bday parties :) something i didn't think was possible in nyc :P and major props to jenn yoo, joanne, steve, bo, amy hsieh, and andrea for bringing over food and organizing the surprise!
and to everyone who was there in spirit (people who contributed to the bday gift)- i am really amazed by your love and support. i already feel blessed many times over after the burglary, after seeing the outpouring of love and concern from you guys and knowing that i have such awesome friends who are there to encourage me in times of distress. i thank God for you.
as i've reflected over the surpise this week, i've come to realize the depths to which friendships/community can form, even in the midst of our generation where people are constantly coming/going.
i'll admit that during my first year at nyc, i wasn't sure if true friendships could really develop and grow in a place that's so busy/transient. after last weekend, its safe to say that i no longer have doubts that a real community can form anywhere there are people like you guys who lovingly sacrifice their time/effort to care for another. even if i've only gotten to know over the past year, or if you're halfway around the world ;) thanks for your friendship and showing me what true love/community is.
