A great post by Hugh Whelchel on having the appropriate goal and motivation in our work–the desire to receive praise from God for the faithful stewardship of the talents, gifts and opportunities he entrusts to us. Whelchel also debunks two common cultural myths:
By age 28, many face what’s called a “quarter-life crisis,” thanks to the two great lies our culture promotes among children in school, students in college, and professionals in the business world. The first great lie is, “If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.” It is often sold as the American Dream, expressed in sayings such as, “In America, anyone can grow up to be President.”
The second great lie is like the first one, yet possibly even more damaging: “You can be the best in the world. If you try hard enough, you could be the next Zuckerberg.”
These lies are accepted by many Christians as well as non-Christians. They have catastrophically damaged our view of work and vocation, because they have distorted our biblical view of success.
I can’t tell you how often I encounter these two myths as a college educator, which is why I addressed them and related matters in Thriving at College.
Read Whelchel’s post to find out why believing these lies turns us into idolators and robs us of the joy God intended us to find in our work. Whelchel is the executive director of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, a Biblical advocacy think tank based in the Washington, D.C. area, and the author of How then Should We Work?: Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work