Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Summer Work Ethic

In the gym change room this morning one fellow commented to another "well, back to the grind" as they prepared to head out the door after their work-out. The recipient of this observation replied that work wasn't a grind for him, he loved what he was doing. He looked to me and asked how many people I know who could say they enjoyed going to work each day.

Good question. We are in a time of the year when we try to "vacate" our workplaces for some rest time. The fortunate eight percent of Ontarians who have cottages use the weekends for some R & R amongst the loons and the Sea-doos --okay, forget the latter.

Still, it is usually our work that affords us the the opportunity for recreation. The Protestant work ethic maintains that we should do the best we can in our employment, regardless of the reward, as a gift to God. I wonder how often we consider the godliness of our work. Martin Luther maintained that "All men whatever their calling ought to seek perfection in their work." I'm assuming we can include women in this as well!

While I'm not sure I want to strive for perfection, I do care about excellence. I try to remind myself that I am doing my best because I serve God. While I am in a profession that includes a lot of "God talk," it applies to us all.

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