Why Do We Work?

Let’s talk about the question that always seems to creep in around Wednesday—yep, “hump day.” Thanks, GEICO.

By the middle of the week, we’re dragging our feet, staring at the clock, wondering: Why am I even doing this? What’s the point of work, day in and day out?

That’s not just a midweek thought—it’s a life-sized question. And believe it or not, God has something to say about it.

Work Was Meant to Be Joyful

Yes, I said it—joyful.

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them work in the garden. But notice: it wasn’t a burden. It wasn’t “Ugh, here we go again.” It was a privilege. “I get to work. I get to cultivate. I get to serve.”

Work was worship. Work was a celebration. Work was meaningful.

And then—the Fall. Sin entered the picture, and joy in work turned into frustration. What used to be a gift became a grind.

When Work Feels Empty

Let’s be real. We’ve all felt it. Work starts to feel meaningless when:

• The paycheck becomes the only motivation.

• The title or the status becomes our identity.

• The pursuit of “more” never seems to satisfy.

That’s when work becomes the “rat race.” Same cycle, same people, same tasks, day after day. We tell ourselves life must be more than this—because it is.

Deep down, we know God didn’t design us to just survive. He created us to flourish.

The Problem with “More”

How much is enough? Answer: just a little more.

More money. More influence. More recognition. More success. But chasing more doesn’t deliver peace—it only leaves us restless. We go to bed exhausted and wake up gearing up to do it all over again.

The truth? Work makes a terrible god.

The gifts of God—like work—are meant to point us back to Him, not replace Him. When we idolize our job, it will always let us down. But when we see work as a gift, it becomes an avenue to serve God and others.

Rethinking Work

Paul said it like this in Colossians 3:23:
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

That changes everything. It means the meaning of your work isn’t tied to your paycheck, your boss, or your résumé. It’s tied to who you’re working for.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. put it this way:

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

In other words, it’s not about the size of your job—it’s about the heart behind your work.

From Rat Race to Mission Field

Here’s the good news: Jesus redeems our work. He rescues us from meaningless grind and invites us back into meaningful labor. Work becomes worship again. Work becomes a mission.

That office, that classroom, that construction site, that home—those are mission fields where you get to shine the light of Christ. It’s not “I have to work.” It’s “I get to work.”

Because of Jesus, our Monday through Friday matters as much as our Sunday.

Let’s Talk

So let me ask you:

• What drives your work right now?

• Do you see your workplace as a burden—or a mission field?

• What would it look like for you to “work as unto the Lord” this week?

Drop a comment or send me a message—I’d love to hear your perspective. Because this isn’t just about getting through hump day. This is about living with purpose in the everyday grind.