Portraits

 

• “I can’t remember the last time I really relaxed,” explained Dave. “I think what seems to keep me going is fear, fear that if I do stop, I’ll lose everything I have worked so hard to achieve.” He continued, “My parents lived through the Depression and instilled in me the notion that what matters most is getting aheadin life. They raised me to never be in a position to depend on anyone for anything. Even when I am with my wife and kids I can’t seem to stop thinking about work. Somehow everything that isn’t related to my work seems like a waste of time.”

• Pam can’t enjoy her home or her children. She is constantly cleaning, picking up after her kids, always attempting to maintain a spotless “Better Homes and Gardens”-type of showpiece. The children aren’t allowed to play anywhere but iin their rooms.

 

• Bill is climbing the corporate ladder and faces expectations that he feels he must meet in order to make it to the next rung. The stress is affecting his family.

Definitions and Key Thoughts

 

A Healthy Work Ethic

• Some Christians believe that work is a form of worship, a sacred extension of the ongoing creative process by which God still functions.

• Because of disobedience to God, man was cursed to eke out an existence from the earth, struggling to live by the sweat of his brow until death (Genesis 3:17-19). Yet God has redeemed work and looks upon people at work with dignity and protection.

• God calls humankind to work honestly, heartily, happily, and as though we are working for the Lord (Exodus 23:12; Ecclesiastes 5:19; Colossians 3:23).

 

 

An unhealthy work ethic

• Work life must be managed within the context of a healthy relation to God, marriage and family life, and commitments to church and community. When this balance is not held, work can become an idol, a terrible taskmaster known as “workaholism.”

 

• While God created work as a meaningful part of this life, for some, for workaholics, work becomes the primary avenue by which they find approval, re-spect, and success.

 

Workaholism

                                                                              

• Workaholism has become an all-consuming obsession for too many modern workers, a sleep-depriving, health-robbing, greed-festering monster that may be the most rewarded—and least challenged—addiction in America.

                                                                               

• This issue is not limited to men and women in the workplace. It can also include women at home who are striving to have the “perfect” home and family.

                                                                               

• Workaholism is an addiction and needs to be treated like one.

 

Symptoms of workaholism

• Working 60-70 hours a week or more.

• A chronic sense of urgency in every activity.

• An inability to rest.

• An addictive need for acceptance and significance in the eyes of others as a result of one’s work.

• Ignoring the emotional and spiritual demands of family under the notion of year. That is less than providing a better lifestyle.

• Seen by one’s children as inattentive, irritable, lacking humor, and always in a hurry.

• Value performance over showing love and grace.

• Family does not feel “safe.” Aside from financial security, the family members know that their feelings or concerns are generally not accepted. Playful times are substituted for competition.                                                          
  

• Struggles with a poor self-image, rigidity, and problems with intimacy in relationships.

• Viewing the stress that work involves as a challenge to overcome and a way to find significance.

 

Assessment of Workaholism

 

Like all addicts, workaholics must be able to admit their obsessive drivenness and confess its many costs. They must be able to establish and maintain times for rest, play, family, and leisure. Work addicts need to realize that the deeper life with Christ comes only after they are able to be still and know God.

Q1   Do you work more than 40 hours a week ?

 

Q2  Do you often feel fatigued and stressed?

 

Q3  Do you have problems sleeping?

 

Q4  Do you have stress-related physical issues such as back pain, headaches, indigestion, ulcers, or chronic fatigue?

 

Q5  Do you take work home? on weekends? on vacation? on holidays?

 

Q6  Do you feel guilty when you relax or have fun, especially when there is work to be done?

 

Q7  Do you sometimes resent others for not working as hard as you do?

 

Q8  Do you get impatient with coworkers who have other priorities besides work?

 

Q9  Has your family given up expecting you on time?

 

Q10  Do you find that it is difficult to schedule time for those you love?

 

Q11  Are you able to have fun with your family?

 

Q12  Do you feel that the more you work the more pleasing you will be to God?

 

Q13  Do you have difficulty saying no?

 

Q14  Do you sometimes feel that people who have “needs” are weak?

 

Q15  Do you feel better about yourself when you earn more money or realize achievements in your work?

 

Q16  Do you feel that you do things rapidly to not waste time?

 

Q17  Do you often compare yourself to others?

 

Q18  Do you find that free time bores you because you would rather be working?

 

Q19  Tell me about your growing up years. What were your parents like?

 

Q20  How did your parents assess your worth? Did you feel that you had to achieve at a certain level in order to be accepted or loved?

 

Wise Counsel

 

Generally, people who are addicted to work feel:

 

highly self-critical

 

a pervading sense of emptiness

 

a compulsive need to do things perfectly and be better than others

 

pain from the past—their worth can only be found in their achievements

 

that unrelenting sacrificial service is honorable before God

 

that they must measure up to their own impossible standards

 

a constant struggle with pride

 

If you are a workaholic, you may be completely unaware as to what is fueling the stress and find little value in self-reflection.

God’s invitation to the workaholic is to let Him take the burden of his life and give him rest in its place (Matthew 11:29).

 

Action Steps

 

1. Assess the problem

 

• What is causing the stress you feel at work? 

 

• Workaholism is an addiction and needs to be treated as such.

 

2. Evaluate the Past

 

• What negative messages did you receive about self-worth from your parents, siblings, and/or peers?

                                                                    

• Point out that his significance is provided through Christ, not work.

3. Refocus on God

 

• Commit daily time for prayer, Scripture reading, and meditation.

 

• Seek God for guidance as to the activities for the day.

• Read and meditate on the scriptures that address God's unconditional love and your identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. This is to support your relationship with God and is not just as another job or task.

4. Find Balance

 

• Evaluate the activities in your weekly schedule and assess which involvements are unnecessary and are contributing to the addiction to activity.

• Strive for a balance between time spent at work and time spent in close relationships.

• Understand that work must be maintained in proper relation to God and to family. When this balance is not in place, work can become an idol—a false god that is a terrible taskmaster.

• “Schedule” times for leisure and play. Make sure that you treat these times as a priority.

• Honor the Sabbath as a day of rest.

5. Slow Down

• Establish a slower pace for each day and seek rest.

• Honor the body that God has given you by getting sufficient rest, exercise, and eating a nutritionally-balanced diet.

• Explore ways that you can include enjoyable activities in your schedule, especially family time.

• Remember that change takes time and that God will take care of the things that concern you(Matthew 6:25-34).

6. Get Support

 

Seek help from a counselor, accountability partner, or group where the focus is on coming to terms with the underlying motivations for the addiction to work.

 

Biblical Insights

 

This is what the Lord has said: “Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” —Exodus 16:23

 

• God gave His people a day of rest, a day when they were not supposed to work. But everyone had to work hard in preparation on the day before, in order to be able to rest completely on the Sabbath.

• To take full advantage of our day of rest and worship, we too need to prepare ahead of time. That way, we won’t need to run to the store or finish a work project. We need to be organized enough to be ready to rest and focus on God on Sundays.

 

Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. —1 Kings 5:13-14

 

• God had given Solomon wisdom to rule the nation. There was peace in the land, so the nation could devote itself and its resources to building a glorious temple for God.

• Even as Solomon planned its construction, he used great wisdom. He drew upon the nation's labor force, divided it into three groups, and rotated the groups so they would be one month in Jerusalem and then two months at home.

• Solomon allowed for continuous work without burning out his workers or hurting their families. No matter how important the work, the workers’ families must not be neglected.

Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. —Ecclesiastes 5:18

 

• Work is a double-edged sword in Scripture. Transformed into “sweat” as part of the Curse after the Fall (Genesis 3:19), work is also an honored activity through which God delivers many blessings.

• The Bible emphasizes the importance of work as a God-given activity in life, and it says that the ability to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor is also something that God provides us.

• The ability to work, enjoy that work, make money, and enjoy and share that income with others is a gift from God.

Recommended Resources

 

Balance that Works When Life Doesn’t, Susie Larson

 

Cleaning Up: One Man’s Redemptive Journey Through the Seductive World of Corporate Crime, by Barry Minkow

 

Halftime, by Bob Buford

 

LifeKeys: Discovering Who You Are, Why You’re Here, and What You Do Best, by Jane Kise, David Stark, and Sandra Krebs Hersh

 

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, by Richard A. Swenson

 

Your Work Matters to God, by Doug Sherman