“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.” Ben Witherington writes, “Christian work is any necessary and meaningful task that God calls and gifts a person to do and which can be undertaken to the glory of God and for the edification and aid of human beings, being inspired by the Spirit and foreshadowing the realities of the new creation.
“J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a short story called ‘Leaf by Niggle,’ about a man whose ‘vocation’ was to paint leaves. Various chores and inconveniences kept Niggle from finishing the painting to his satisfaction. But when he was called out of life, he discovered that the leaves he was painting were embedded in the forests, mountains, and streams of heaven.
“A worthy vocation contributes not only to our own financial well-being but to new creation.”