Work and eternity

by TAN SIN GUAN

Ms Bee died at the prime of life. She was only 39 when she felt unwell and had difficulty sleeping soundly at night. She went to the hospital for a check-up. By evening she was hospitalized, unable to breathe by herself. She was pronounced dead two days later. A shocking and abrupt end to a hardworking and competent accountant. She left behind a husband, two young children, a new house and unfulfilled dreams.

Even though death is inevitable, we can't predict how and when we die and this makes it even scarier. People just want to avoid the word "death" and it is taboo to talk about it. This is especially true in the marketplace because death would frustrate the plans of businessmen and put an end to all their ambitions. Not to mention that death mocks the marketplace's much-touted idea of success, which is unfortunately the reason for its existence.

Although death is a scary word for some, it is an undeniably necessary factor to consider for those who seek congruence and purpose in their existence. The Bible teaches that we should live our lives in anticipation of death because only then can we learn how to live. Psalm 90:10-12 says: "The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow… Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." It is like saying that each of us has been given a certain number of years to live and assuming that we live out our years, we would get about 80 years. The Psalmist thus implies: If my end is not very far from me, how then should I live my life? Christian scholar J I Parker said: "Regard readiness to die as the first step in learning to live."

What can the inevitability of death teach us about work and how we should view it? Subconsciously we work with death in mind. Our subconscious view of death influences the way we interpret the meaning of life, which in turn influences how we see our work and work life. There are three choices available to us.

The first is working toward our death. This means working till we die. This kind of work life is derived from the belief that death is the end of everything. Therefore, the most logical way to live is to work and work thus gives meaning to life. Work potentially becomes everything. Philosopher George Santayana said, "There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval."

There is another choice. Instead of working toward our death, we can work from our death. Those who hold this view are realists who agree on the certainty of death and its being the end of everything. Death could be the end of the individual but life still goes on for his next of kin. The main difference between those working toward death and those working from death is how they view work. The latter find meaning in life not from work but from what it can provide for their families. Both groups might view death as the end of everything. However, those who work from their death have new meaning and purpose - for the sake of the family and the next generation. The ability to provide then gives meaning to their lives as they find themselves useful not only to the company but also to their families. This attitude toward work life seems to echo what the Psalmist said in Psalm 90:10-12. A person who has dedicated his life to providing for family and others in this manner would look at his work life with no regret because he has done what is necessary.

Yet the Bible teaches us to neither work toward or from death. The Bible teaches that we should work beyond death because there is the fact of eternity to consider. The heart of Psalm 90:10-12 is not about living on borrowed time but rather living on entrusted time. God has entrusted us with a certain number of years for a reason and a purpose. And if indeed He has entrusted that length of time to us, it means we are accountable to Him to give a report when we meet Him face to face (Matthew 25:14-30).

Working beyond death forces us to ask questions like, "Why am I doing what I am doing?" "For whom am I working?" "In what way does my current work as an accountant, engineer or a gardener carry eternal significance?" "Is there any eternal significance in my work?"

It is interesting to note how Paul sees the connection between his "work" and its eternal significance. He pointed out in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 that things may look good from the outside but ultimately our work would have to go through the test of fire. The quality of our work would determine the outcome of the test - either it ends up in ashes or it remains. Working beyond death is definitely implied here. Paul mentioned two things that could determine the outcome of the test. The first is the foundation - what kind of foundation we are building on. The foundation must be Jesus Christ. For those in the marketplace context, we should ask questions like: "What does God say about my work?" "Am I here because of calling or career?" These are some of the questions that we must answer if we want our foundation to be firmly built on Christ. Secondly, we need to consider how we build on the foundation. This refers to the quality of our work and we need to ask questions like: "Have I been faithful and trustworthy?"

Working beyond work is derived from the biblical teaching that work itself does have intrinsic value and meaning. We should not work because it is the best thing to do before one dies but because it is good and meaningful. In addition, it does contribute to the welfare of those around us. In fact, we should work to support those whom God has entrusted to us, making plans for them in case we are called home to be with Him.

But as children of God, we should look beyond all the above. We should also work beyond death - knowing that how we work and what we do with our work have eternal significance. And with this in mind, there should be no reason why we cannot enjoy our work and excel in it. Death does teach us how to view work.

Tan Sin Guan is director of Malaysia Campus Crusade for Christ’s Impact! ministry. He is also an associate pastor of Klang Chinese Methodist Church.