The Purpose of Work - Work Redefined by Wayne Rumsby
I have been told that work belongs in the realm of business and not within the realm of Christian community development. I have also been told that work that is not profitable is not meaningful. So, what is the purpose of work? I believe that we have all come to embrace the idea that work is toilsome, it is part of the curse brought on us by the original sin. Or, perhaps we hold a more secular philosophy, that work is the opposite of leisure. We work so we can live. We spend most of our time draining our souls, so that we can spend the excess of our efforts on something that will replenish our souls. This is a dreary existence. For many there is never enough excess, their souls are being slowly drained.
Then there are those who can’t compete, they can’t even get in the game. They can’t afford to purchase what makes them feel alive, so they simply steal to purchase what makes the struggle of life less painful. In their pursuit of soulful meaning they will often exchange skill for cash, in ways that rob their souls. These are the poor and many of them wear suits.
The dictionary defines work as: productive or operative activity. That’s straight up, no cultural or philosophical baggage there. My own definition is: any effort focused on a desired outcome and leisure is any effort with no desired outcome. The early chapters of the Bible holds some clues about work. Perhaps a more biblical definition of work would be: a creative, productive or operative activity that reveals the worker. God’s creation is revelation, and we are created in His images. Therefore, our work, our efforts, become meaningful when they are productive, but also when they reveal God and His images in us.
The Church seems to have handed work over to business, because they have bought into the idea that work is only about making money. Our response to the beggar is “get a job”. We have declared that the only kind of work that is honorable is paid work, and anyone who can not pull their weight is useless. We have become like those who passed by on the road to Jericho. I have a son who is 15 years old, he looks like 7 and has the mental capacity of an infant. By these terms he is useless. I have a friend who was traumatized as a child when his step-father danced around, waving his chainsaw. The roar of the saw drowned out the screams of his little sister, who was tied naked to the kitchen table. By these terms he is useless.
What about those with learning disabilities? They are often convinced by the system, and their families, that they’d never amount to anything? By these terms they are useless.
Therefore, the Church needs to have a strategy that includes healthy and meaningful work opportunities for all in their care. We need to make sure that we are not simply feeding their short term needs and ignoring who they really are. Our response to this challenge should be, “Come and share my work with me, I want to see who God has created you to be”.
Writer: Wayne Rumsby is at least a fourth generation follower of Jesus Christ. In his late 30’s Wayne responded to an invitation to visit an inner city mission in the heart of Toronto. At the time he was working as a graphic designer. It wasn’t long before he left his job in the fast paced ad business, in the glass towers, to become a full time missionary on the streets and in the alleys. The focus of his mission was to help the marginalized discover God through meaningful work. For most of the past decade Wayne was helping people discover who God had created them to be, by teaching them to make beautiful furniture in a woodworking shop. Today Wayne and his wife Linda are working with the team at 614 with the very same vision, helping people discover who God has created them to be, and more.
