“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15)
By Jim Ganther
God gave Adam work to do before the fall, so it had to be a blessing. And we all know that feeling at work when everything falls into place for a desired result: A well-written brief leads to a successful appeal; a new client engages your firm; a meticulous proposal gets accepted. Just the way I intended—I did the work and saw its reward.
Immediately after the fall, this all changed: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17). The same job—farming—went from satisfying work to toil. What does that toil look like?
It looks like work without the desired result. Like Sisyphus pushing a rock up the hill, only to see it roll back down time after time. How can toil be a gift?
When I work successfully, I credit myself. When I toil, I blame others for the failure. If the effort was the same, maybe my successes weren’t because of my talents. Perhaps they were the Father’s gift. Failures—toil—remind me of this. And that’s a gift.
Pray
Loving Father, grant me the grace to work with diligence that gives you glory, and dispose of the result as you will.
Reflect
Have you ever experienced crushing failure at work despite your best effort? What could you learn from that experience about God’s love?
Discuss
Have you ever seen blessing in another’s failure that person could not see? How can you turn another’s attention to God’s possible plans in such a circumstance?
Jim Ganther is an attorney, entrepreneur, and captain of a competitive BBQ team. He and his wife, Melissa, have seven children, three grandchildren, and 45 lbs. of fresh fish from a recent trip to Alaska. If you want his recipe for seared halibut with mushroom bacon cream sauce, contact Jim at jganther@MosaicCS.com.