The Stress of a Job

Working is good for a person for many reasons.  For one thing, it pays the bills and you can buy groceries, pay your rent or mortgage, and possibly buy a vehicle.  You really can’t get very far in life without a pay cheque.  But there are other benefits too.  You get the satisfaction of contributing something to your workplace, and, depending on where you work, you also get the social interaction. 

Starting any new job is stressful, but after awhile you settle into a routine and after about a month it begins to feel like home.  But there are other stresses as well that will come up.   Anytime there is a mixture of people, you will have different personalities, and you have to learn to get along with people.  That’s why the word “team work” shows up on job applications, because your employer wants to know that you can get along with others.  In the past, before I turned to writing full time, I worked in various offices before, during and after my university night school days.  It seemed that no matter which office I worked in, there was a pecking order.  The people who had been there the longest seemed to have more say and more privileges than the newbie.  And in some cases, if you were a mover and shaker, and came up with new and better ideas, you were an immediate threat and they’d quickly put you in your place and try to keep you there.  There was no room for advancement of any kind.  And it was in these situations that true character and integrity shone through.  For myself, I was tested time and again as a Christian, to see how I would react to off-color jokes, swearing and other subtle forms of anti-godly propaganda.  Even if you don’t say it, people can sense there’s something different about you and in some work places, they’ll make fun of you at every opportunity. 

Sometimes a boss will pile more work on you, more than he or she does to others.  So you’ll be working along, and next thing you know, he tells you that you have to work late either to catch up or to do this new project he’s just put on your desk.  So you have to cancel any other plans you may have had.  And sometimes cliques will form in an office and you won’t be included in them.  They may all go out for lunch and not ask you to join them, or they’ll talk about a social outing where you weren’t invited.  And then there’s the problem of the physical environment.  If you work at a desk all day, after awhile your bones start aching or your muscles tense up.  You can end up with chronic neck and back problems, which will make it much more difficult to work and perform your duties in a timely manner.  You may be in a closed office with no fresh air or natural lighting.  You may be exposed to fluorescent lighting that causes eye strain and headaches.  And with all these problems, you can’t quit because you may have a really good paying job and jobs in your line of work may be scarce at the moment.  So you have to stick it out and just hope and pray that things will get better. 

For the past several years, I have also been self-employed selling things; things I create and design and also I’ve sold merchandise for other companies.  I have found this most enjoyable because I can get out, be my own boss and I also get to meet people.  But even self-employment has its challenges and stresses.  For one thing, in order to really make a living at it, you have to invest a great deal of your own money and time.  You have to continuously find new business and you have to look after your customers and keep them happy.  But you do not have any of the stresses of office work or working in a group setting.  In fact, you may find a new stress of having to do everything yourself and if you are successful at it and your products are in demand, you may not be able to handle doing so much yourself to keep up with the demand!  So then you need to hire people to help you.  But that’s a good thing, except when it takes you away from actually producing or creating your products.  In my book, Artistic Ideas and Inspirations, I briefly discuss this for artists to really think hard and consider the cost of running a business, because it will inevitably take them away from actually doing the art.  It seems that a person needs to decide whether they want their job because they like the work itself, or are they doing it for the money?  It’s nice if a job can provide both. 

Another situation that can arise (and I think this is common), is that you may find yourself in a job that you never had any intention of doing.  Maybe you wanted to do something entirely different and here you are, day after day, in a job that you don’t even really like and you wonder why you’re still there!  This has happened to me, especially when I ended up working in an office.  I learned office skills in high school and so I was able to get hired immediately because of it.   But my real desire was to be a paid writer.  I was already writing and had always been a writer as soon as I learned the alphabet in grade one.  But good writing jobs are hard to come by and working in journalism was not the right fit for me (I worked for community and city newspapers as editorial staff, contributing writer, freelance, layout person, and advertising sales person).  Journalism was much more scientific than I thought where you had to write to the specific slant and flavour of the newspaper or magazine, giving you little room for “creative” writing.  Not wanting to be put in a box, I quit the field and began writing on my own.  But I still had to make a living, so I kept working in an office until I was able to quit and write full time.  When I did work in a job that wasn’t my first choice (the office), I vigorously pursued the things that interested me most.  This is what got me through many long days at the office, looking forward to what I would do after work or on the weekend.  

And then there’s retirement.  Most people think, “Now what will I do?”  I always laugh at this because there are so many different things to do that you can be busier after retirement than you ever were when you were working.  Now you can take up that favorite hobby that you had to keep putting aside because you didn’t have time or were too tired to do.  You can golf more or go to the gym more, visit your kids and grand-kids, volunteer for a worthy organization, take up painting or renovate your house.  You can travel or take a bus tour, play cards, take up dancing.  Really, the possibilities are endless and the only problem is, you might find yourself too busy and get stressed in a different sort of way!  

I’d like to share a few things I have learned about handling stress when it comes to jobs and the competitive workplace we might be in right now.  First, pray about the career you are to pursue and then once you know, give it your all and remain faithful to it.  Wise King Solomon said it best: 

Ecc. 9:10  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.  

Never do a half-hearted job, because if you’re a Christian, your attitude and quality of work is your first witness.  We may make mistakes, but doing our best and being sincere is what really matters.  It doesn’t matter what you say, if your work doesn’t measure up, you will lose credibility.  Give a little more, not less, and it will speak volumes to your employer.   

When we are in particularly difficult jobs with impossible-to-please bosses, we are to pray for them, and not criticize: 

1Tim. 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Tim. 2:2  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

1Tim. 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

1Tim. 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

Jobs and bosses may come and go, but a person’s soul is eternal.  Think about whether your boss is a Christian or not and if not, where they will be spending eternity (in hell, without God).  If they are a Christian, they still need your prayers and encouragement and support.  

We are to do our work as unto the Lord and not to grab the attention of man: 

Eph. 6:5  Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Eph. 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Eph. 6:7  With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Eph. 6:8  Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.  

It doesn’t matter what someone else does, it only matters what you do.  You are only accountable for your own works, and they are accountable for theirs.  God sees all things and He is a just God.  He will repay accordingly and it’s not up to us to judge. 

Finally, and this is so encouraging, especially if you want a promotion in your job or if you want a new job.  It is God who promotes us to the next level, and not man.  

Psa. 75:6  For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

Psa. 75:7  But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.  

Are we being faithful?  Are we doing our best?  Are we doing above and beyond what we are asked to do?  Then these will all work in our favor in the workplace, whether we work for someone or whether we are self-employed.  God notices and He rewards us, sometimes through the employer and sometimes in other ways. And until then, if we are suffering in a job we don’t like, God will give us grace and strength to continue there until He moves us on.  Perhaps we still have much to learn and areas where we need to be strengthened and grow. 

Thank you for reading and may you enjoy your job, whatever that may be.