A while ago, I was feeling depressed about how much I was getting paid for work. To get myself to have a good attitude at work, I reminded myself that Jesus is my true emloyer. However, instead of being a comfort to me, I thought to mysef, Jesus is only paying me x amount of dollars and it made me feel worse.

     Then I realized, Jesus (God's) provision does not end with the money I earn at work. It also includes the helps me and my family receive from others. It also includes my health which enables me towork in the first place, and also health which is good enough that I don't have to worry about expensive treatments. Everything that sustains my life comes from him. Add to this the fringe benefits of life- the love of family, the joy of friendships, the pleasure of God's creation.

     Besides money, we like to get from our work a sense of purpose. We don't want to feel that our work is purposeless. Again, reflecting on who our true emoloyer is, frees us from the nagging feeling that our work has no purpose. Because our true employer is the Lord of the universe, we can safely assume that our purpose is not limited to our work. God did not just place us in the workplace but he also placed us in families and friendships and neighborhoods and a whole universe. We get fixated on our career but God has a bigger mission for us and it is not to climb the career ladder as fast as we could. He "simply" requires us to conduct ourselves with justice, mercy, and humility. We can safely assume that he meant for us to practice those three wherever we are- workplace, family, neighborhood, etc. Those  three things may not get us  professional satisfaction or popularity with the world, but it will give us  the peace of mind that we are pursuing what matters eternally. The judgment of the world ends at our deathbed but the joy of the Lord lasts for eternity. 

     The whole point of my reflection is to remind us, especially when we are feeling a sense of frustration with work, that there is a bigger universe. If you let go of the obsession with this one aspect of life, you will find  that you are compensated beyond what you need, and your life is more purposeful than you imagine.