When Work Feels Like Work – Week Three

As we continue our series on work today, we will be exploring the third principle – frustration is a normal part of work, even if you are in the exact right place. In his book Every Good Endeavor, Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, Timothy Keller says it this way, “All work and human effort will be marked by frustration and lack of fulfillment. You should expect to be regularly frustrated with your work even though you may be in exactly the right vocation.”

Like it or not, pain, frustration, and struggle are a part of life and, therefore, a part of everything we do, including our work. As much as we are looking for the perfect job with the perfect people and the perfect pay, it does not exist. 

I remember one boss liked to quote Proverbs 14:4 NASB, “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.” In our case, we were in the people business. On the one hand, without people, our job would not exist. But on the other hand, those same people we needed sure made a big mess of things sometimes! 

The same is true for any profession. We can say, if only it weren’t for… but then, what would our job be? The work would no longer be necessary, translating to a lack of purpose and a loss of income. No one is going to pay you to do nothing! If there was no mess and no frustration – your job is most likely eliminated. 

Not only do problems create work for us, but the Bible also teaches us we should expect them. Consider the following verses. 

• In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
• Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil. Job 14:1
• Thus I considered all activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after the wind and there was no profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:11 
• For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it. Romans 8:20
• There is none righteous, not even one. Romans 3:10

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Frustration is a guarantee – no matter where you are, where you go, who you become, what you achieve, who you work with, who you work for, who works for you. 

You may be thinking, thanks for the encouragement, Amber. But hang with me for a moment. At first glance, this sounds like bad news, but today’s truth can bring freedom, too, if you look a little deeper. If frustration is a normal part of work, even if you are in the exact right place, that means that when you experience frustration, it doesn’t always mean that something is terribly wrong. 

If you are anything like me, when I am frustrated, I start asking:

• What’s wrong with this job?
• What’s wrong with my boss? 
• What’s wrong with these people that work for me?
• What’s wrong with me? 
• What’s wrong with this process? 
• What in the world am I doing here?
• Isn’t it time to leave?
• Isn’t there something better out there? 

I could go on, but you get the idea. The problem with my thinking is that I assume my work should be perfect and everything should run smoothly. I believe that if something is hard, that equates to something being wrong. And yes, often problems indicate something needs to change, but not always drastically. When we are frustrated, we can take a deep breath.

A frustrating day, week, or season doesn’t necessarily mean we are in the wrong place. It may simply mean we live in a crazy messy world. Our toil and trouble help us remember we need a Savior. It points us to Jesus. It can fill us with compassion. It can give us purpose. And it can draw us closer to God. 

Our God knows we live in an imperfect world, and He knows we are imperfect people. If you haven’t read Psalm 103 lately, I encourage you to take a few minutes to ponder the words. Here we are told God has compassion on us. He knows we are made from dust. Our days are short, but God’s lovingkindness is present. We can trust His promises and His goodness. And we can join with all of heaven blessing His name. 

I am only human. You are only human. We live in a fallen world. We will all have bad days. Sometimes our work will drive us crazy, zap all our energy, and leave us angry or disappointed. All of this is normal. But there is good news. Our hope is not in our work or this world. It is in our God, the creator of heaven and earth. We can trust His goodness, lean into Him, and live His purpose.