| Popular author, speaker, and Christian entrepreneur, Brian Sooy, shares in his new Vide Press book how COVID has been devastating for many people at work, yet for others, it’s actually been a blessing. “The truth is, we’re not all in this together,” he writes.
In his book, “Essentials: Finding Worth in Your Work During Uncertain Times,” Sooy explains how if we are genuinely “in this together,” work’s essential nature and its value for our lives and livelihoods would not be debatable. At the beginning of the lockdowns, companies anxiously checked the 14 categories of workers and businesses deemed essential to meet operational requirements. Millions of people experienced loss, grief, and stress when they were considered “nonessential.”
When we find identity in our work and are confined to our homes, what becomes of the community for which we all long and the meaning we gain from purposeful work?
If anything is right, we will all get through this, but to be in it together assumes we have mutually agreeable goals for its outcome. Many people are trying to survive, while others are thriving. Some have given up the fight for what is true and beautiful in society and culture, while others fight to preserve what is good and honorable. But Sooy writes in his book how we are ALL essential.
Regardless of what any government official decides or legislates, it is not their role, right, or responsibility to declare which jobs or vocations are essential. To declare any of us nonessential denies our inalienable rights and demeans Christ’s sacrifice for all people.
To limit our right to work when, where, and how we choose eliminates the spirit of risk and reward associated with the entrepreneurial spirit found in cultures worldwide. People want the freedom to determine their present and future without being told how to do it.
If your job or vocation defines your identity and your job is labeled “nonessential,” you may begin to doubt who you are and struggle with your worth. Sooy writes, “When you think of your job or vocation as something that only fulfills your needs, you may be disappointed. When you believe your work, career, or role is precisely that to which God calls, you can be confident in its worth because you are an essential member of the body of Christ.”
Your job is a spiritual gift from God that empowers you to meet the needs of others. That alone should set you free. No matter where you serve, you are fulfilling your calling! Who you are matters far more to God than what you do. Work is a precious gift from God, but it must not define who you are.”
Your work doesn’t define who you are. Every person has worth. All people made in God’s image have the right to work, create, and add value to the world. To everybody who works, remember this truth: You are essential. Don’t let anybody convince you otherwise!
Essentials: Finding Worth in Your Work During Uncertain Times is available wherever books are sold. More Books from VIDE PRESS |
