Quote of the Week

"We are not primarily called to do something or go somewhere; we are called to Someone. We are not called first to special work but to God. The key to answering the call is to be devoted to no one and to nothing above God himself."

Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, p. 42

Pursuing Happiness at Work

Happiness in the workplace isn't something that has typically received much attention. The high tech business world that I work in isn't exactly the most nurturing of environments. People aren't as much concerned about your state of happiness as they are about the status of your projects.

But lately, there's been a "happiness movement" in the workplace. Books like The Business of Happiness written by former AOL executive, Ted Leonsis and Delivering Happiness by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh are just two examples of how happiness in the workplace is taking center stage.

There's no getting away from this reality - if you're unhappy at work, you're probably going to be unhappy in life, especially since the majority of your waking hours are spent at work. What if you don't like your job? Perhaps you're not intellectually stimulated, feel unappreciated or you don't like the commute. Maybe, you're having trouble fitting in and getting along with your co-workers.

The point is - what do you do if find yourself consistently unhappy at work? (other than firing up your resume and calling it quits)

There's no shortage of helpful resources with practical tips on how to get back on track in your work life. If you don't believe me, doing a Google search on how to be happy at work = 576,000,000 results. I'm sure that there's goodness somewhere in the 576 million results but as I pondered this recently in my own life, I came across the following in Psalm 90 -

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" Psalm 90:14

I'm not eschewing the practical advice like "reframing your goals" or "take a 10 min break every couple of hours" but this verse from Psalm 90 seems to be pointing to something different. It's looking for happiness outside of myself or my present circumstance. In fact, it points to help outside of this world - which at times seems like the only place you can possibly find happiness. And, don't miss this - the psalmist is crying out for an experience of God's unfailing love because he believes it to be the essential ingredient to his happiness. He believes that knowing and experiencing God's love - the comfort of His nearness, the treasure of His presence, the faithfulness of His promises - is the key to rejoicing and gladness all his days.

The question for us is whether we're similarly convinced of this.

Quote of the Week

The truest lengthening of life is to live while we live, wasting no time but using every hour for te highest ends. So be it this day.

C.H. Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, June 22