Thistles and Thorns

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken;

for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)

Reflection on the verse

Before I discuss my personal observations about struggles at work, I will reflect on some thoughts applicable to the passage itself.

I have never worked in a field and I have had to do very little strenuous work as part of my career. Rita (my wife) and I have several fruit trees and a raised bed, where we try to grow some food. Taking care of these is hard, sometimes frustrating, work and I am grateful I do not have to do it often. We struggle with caterpillars, other bugs, and raccoons, which eat the food. Trying to grow a small portion of our food can be frustrating but it also brings us joy. When we have a small harvest of blueberries, grapes, or tomatoes, Milana (our four-year-old) enjoys picking and eating the fruits and vegetables much more than when we buy them in the store

If growing fruits and vegetables is difficult for us, with modern technology and irrigation, I can only imagine what it used to be like, when there were not fences and when the farmer had to figure out a way to get the water to the crops, did not have weed killer, and had to deal with droughts. They also depended upon the crops for sustenance so that, if they were not able to produce a crop, they did not eat.

The food we eat is the product of people whose jobs are most likely much more difficult than mine and who most likely make much less than I make. I have little insight to share regarding this work. The last two years I was in high school, I worked in food service for two different franchises and I did a short stint at a nursery loading sod into people’s cars. The work was difficult, the pay was low (for an adult supporting him or herself), and I had little job security. I can only imagine what it must be like for those supporting themselves and/or a family on these wages, especially as they get older and their bodies do not function as they used to.

When we sit down to eat, if we pray, we may want to consider praying for those whose hard work went into getting the food to our market, where we bought it. This prayer may also lead us to increase our generosity and compassion toward others.

Thorns and Thistles

Regardless of our occupation, we all encounter our own metaphorical thorns and thistles. According to the book of Genesis, this is the result of the Fall. Although I enjoy the majority of what I do in my work, it requires me to make personal sacrifices and I do often worry about either the workload and/or my job.

Because my job requires me to work long hours at times, I am not able to spend as much time doing other things that are meaningful. To counter this, I often put my life and my struggles in perspective. I live in the modern era in an affluent country and I have a stable job that provides more than I need for the needs of my family. Whatever inconveniencies and struggles I encounter are the will of God.

I began to write about tasks in my job that are difficult for me. However, as I wrote them out I almost laughed at myself as I thought how petty they would seem to a reader, especially after I re-read the passage from Genesis and reflected on those who work more physically difficult jobs.

Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life (Matthew 6:25)” but that is easier said than done. Many of my struggles during the workday come from anxiety about a project or about something I don’t want to do. As I discussed in my article on trust, I have also given up my joy during my personal time many times over the course of my career because I was thinking about the upcoming work week. As I continue to grow in my walk with God I recognize that my worry is actually a blessing because it drives me to my knees in prayer.

Finding Joy in Work

I continue to struggle with mindfulness at work but, through spiritual practices, I am getting better. Every morning, I read the Bible or other spiritual work, meditate, pray, and journal as I drink my coffee. After that, I perform my physical therapy stretches in quiet (whereas I used to watch TV during this time), which allows me more time to meditate.

Before I leave for work or early when I get into work in the morning, I set an intention for my attitude during the day, which I may or may not remember to come back to during the workday. I also take a 20 minute walk every day. During each walk I try to spend some (if not all) of my time focusing my thoughts upon God and the beauty of his creation although sometimes I also use this time to creatively problem solve because the walk helps me to clear my mind.

As time goes on, I give up my ambitions and my desire to do tasks in a certain way in order to look good. On the other hand, I release the fears regarding the consequences if I make a mistake. As I work, I practice gratitude and I accept that, for this moment, what I am doing is God’s will and I strive to work for the glory of God. I speak more about this attitude in my entry on meekness.

The requirements of a work to be done can be understood as the will of God. If I am supposed to hoe a garden or make a table, then I will be obeying God if I am true to the task I am performing. To do the work carefully and well, with love and respect for the nature of my task and with due attention to its purpose, is to unite myself to God’s will in my work. In this way I become His instrument. He works through me. When I act as His instrument, my labour cannot become an obstacle to contemplation, even though it may temporarily so occupy my mind that I cannot engage in it while I am actually doing my job. Yet my work itself will purify and pacify my mind and dispose me for contemplation.

Unnatural, frantic, anxious work, work done under pressure of greed or fear or any other inordinate passion, cannot properly speaking be dedicated to God, because God never wills such work directly.

He may permit that through no fault of our own we may have to work madly and distractedly, due to our sins, and to the sins of the society in which we live. In that case we must tolerate it and make the best of what we cannot avoid. But let us not be blind to the distinction between sound, healthy work and unnatural toil.

Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation

Living the crucified life precludes a divided life. A life that is partly secular, partly spiritual, partly of this world and partly of the world above is not what the New Testament teaches at all. As Christians, we can turn some of the most hopeless jobs into wonderful spiritual prayer meetings, if we will simply turn them over to God.

A.W. Tozer, The Crucified Life