Though our experience of work is often marked by diffuclty and pain, God designed work as part of his "very good" world. This guide invites you to see work through the lens of God's good creation and to reflect on the beauty of your own vocational endeavors in higher education.
Genesis 1:26-31 (NIV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Questions for Reflection
- Where do you see work in this passage, explicitly and implicitly?
- How does the passage speak to the relationship between God, humanity, and work?
- How might this passage view the way you view and approach your own work?
