Love through work

Reading through Keller’s” Every good endeavour" I was struck by a particular passage where he quotes John Calvin who said “No task will be (seen as) so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God’s sight”.

The insight came from the word “task” because it suggests that the principle applies not just to jobs, but also to everyday tasks, even though that is a different context from what Calvin intended. But let's talk about work for a moment.

Indeed all work is but a series of tasks. If we are fortunate enough and sufficiently blessed, we will work in a job where most of the tasks are pleasant and even enjoyable. Though most jobs will involve elements that we do not relish but have to do anyway. But that isn’t the main point I was trying to make.

The type of everyday tasks that I refer to, take place outside of the official context of work and most commonly found in the relationships we are in, whether at work or at home.

The easiest illustration is when you are in a romantic relationship and think nothing of doing things for each other, even if it may be unpleasant or is something you don’t particularly like to do. And while it isn’t quite transactional except in some manipulative relationships, there is still an unsaid expectation that you do it because the other person loves you. I suppose the easiest test is this. Would you still do it if the other person was not a romantic interest?

Ah maybe you'd say, I would still do it if that person is a friend, male or female... Which still does not quite remove the transactional nature of it. So would you still do it if it was not a friend? Would you still do it if it was in fact someone you did not like? I am not suggesting that we allow ourselves to be made use of, to be manipulated by others. It just occurred to me that sometimes I would help a perfect stranger, but would not do the same thing for someone I did not like, even if it is something that cost me nothing.

If we truly obey God, and His instruction to love others, we would help anyone and everyone. And to bring the topic back to the issue of tasks, the nature of the task would also not matter. We would not pick and choose to do only what we like. We would help as best as we can, whenever we can.