Clock Watchers

With few exception, around the globe people work. Whether it be in a more traditional business setting, at home or in the field, people work. Of the people that work, most of those people have a time frame within which they work; be it an American 8 hour day or a stay at home mom's day that starts before her children awake and ends when she lays her head on her pillow. Without judging another persons work for quality or quantity, I think most every person feels like a worker bee.

Photo by: Digitalart

I can't speak to the mentality in other parts of the world, or even other parts of the U.S., but in my limited experience, I have found that working people are also clock watchers. Without doing any type of research other than exploring the memory files of my own mind, I have been able to narrow it down to two basic types of clock watchers:

1. The "Is it 5 yet?" Worker (or insert the time of day that you get off of work) - This worker often glances at the clock to see if time is magically passing faster than the standard sixty seconds per minute. This worker works for their evenings, weekends, vacations, their dream job or, in the big picture, retirement. They don't much care for their job, sure they have pleasant, possibly even fun, moments, but for the most part, their heart isn't in it. For people that work in a less scheduled work environment, they drudge through the day just waiting for the moment they can rest or shut down and watch T.V. They may see their work as an endless supply of projects and repeat tasks to be performed each day until they turn into dust or retire to the coast, where their life will truly begin.
2. The "Is it 5 already?" Worker (or insert the time of day that you get off of work) - This worker starts each day eager to see what awaits them. They thrive on accomplishing projects and tasks, relishing the opportunity to perform to the best of their ability. Sure, they have "Is it 5 yet?" days, but they aren't waiting for some special occasion or invitation to start living. Retirement isn't even on the radar, and it's not that they don't believe retirement won't come and that they haven't taken steps to prepare for it, it's just that they are focused on completing what is set before them. Their "job" is no "job" at all, simply a part of their life.

Now, I'm quite certain that these are extremes, but I believe most people ultimately fall into one category or another. I'm also sure that many people can justify falling into category one by the type of job they hold or the unfulfilled dreams that they once held dear, but the truth is we all choose how we approach our work.

Colossians 3:22-25 instructs us:  Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

As Christians, we are also called to be workers. Jesus uses workers in various parables in the New Testament, so it stands to reason that in addition to being described as a Bride, Children and Siblings, we also have the less than glamorous role as worker. In His parables his workers are jealous, lazy, fearful, greedy, mean spirited, even oblivious to work that needs to be done. Humanity has not changed much over the centuries, and people continue to fall into these categories too, but what about the two categories submitted above?

As Workers for the cause of Christ, our charge, our job description, if you will, can be found in Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So, I ask you today, what type of worker will you be? The person waiting for heavens pearly gates, doing the minimum here on earth because you are so "Not of this World", that you can't be bothered to shed a little blood, sweat and/or tears? Or will you be the person who at the end of this life, as you stand before your maker, asks, "is it time already?"