Ordinary Work, Chapter 3, Part 2

Upon reflection, I would have to admit that I have many unexamined presuppositions regarding work.

As a child I was (like most children) not a fan of work. I believe it is difficult for a child to enjoy work, unless the work is carefully structured by a well formed adult. The child does not have a sufficient foundation of skills to enable them to engage in many of the more interesting and challenging forms of work. They are also frequently grouped with large numbers of children in classrooms, which can create an atmosphere of self consciousness that discourages bold experimentation in new forms of work.

Looking at my own childhood, most of my experience of work more closely resembled toil than divine imitation. And to a certain extent, that is the experience of my own children as well. Much of their work involves picking up their room or their toys, knowing full well that the smaller children will come along and mess it up again soon. Other work involves taking out garbage, setting the table, sweeping the floors, etc. While tedium, children do need to learn to do work that is not fun. And even these mundane forms of work can be a part to holiness.

However I also reflect that my children do have, in many ways, a better variety of work than I had. Because they are homeschooled, they experience an rigorous academic regimen that encourages them to learn much more aggressively than I ever experienced. With this work, comes the reward of new skills which accelerates the expansion of their world of new experiences. They also benefit from a custom curriculum of arts such as dancing, musical instruments, sports and painting. However their biggest advantage is a mother who can make even the most tedious chore into a fun game.

I think that by simply striving to live the Gospel as a family we have unknowing been moved in the direction of providing a more authentic view of work to our children. With the insights I've gleaned so far from Ordinary Work, I see some potential for enhancing this movement and providing my children an even healthier experience of work than the one with which I was raised.

However for myself, I would have to admit that many of my attitudes regarding work are still deeply engrained from childhood. Upon reflection, I would have to say that my first tendency when encountering work is often to regard it with resentment and a certain level of fear. The resentment, I think, comes from a sense of loss of control. That I am being forced to do something. The fear comes from a insecurity of not being "good enough" to do a quality job and having that failure known publicly.

Oddly enough, I think that both of these factors often drive me toward the end of doing a really great job. I tend to get work done quickly, so that I can reclaim "my time." And the fear leads me towards always trying to prove myself up to the task.

But how much healthier it would be to view work as a gift from God! Part of the original creation and something that makes me more like my Father. How much better it would be to encounter work with a humble spirit of self surrender and gratitude. How delightful would it be to leave the fear and anxiety behind and instead do a really good job because the work is on my alter and I am the priest offering it up to my God. How much more peaceful and joyful my life, and the life of my family, would be.

This interior redemption of work is a captivating goal! I will pray for the grace in earnest, and I look forward to more instruction from Dr. Hahn.