GARGANTUAN steps

Amidst an identity crisis at work after moving on from Infectious Diseases to Microbiology (two sides of the same coin), I found myself lacking inspiration at work, and the wife decided to intervene and buy this book for my 36th birthday. Always a welcome gift, a good book. And so, after arduous journey of the previous book just completed, this was a welcome respite, and it did give some semblance of purpose to my work. One must wonder, in my profession as a doctor, I am about as close to doing God's work as possible in terms of healing the sick, and so why the need for such a book? Shouldn't I already feel inspired by my day to day work? In truth, it was the sedentary setting and the lack of active intervention in Microbiology that spurred the current crisis, and coupled with the need to prepare for yet another exam (and the thought of having to do another two more of the same after), just made me question whether I had made the right move more regularly. 

In truth, this book is written by a banker, and it would be of equal irony that he could find God at work. But that's what he did, and he writes about how he practices this attitude of finding God in his day to day work. One thing that stood out was the fact that we are all put where we are by God, to do the work that He has given us, and therefore, it doesn't make our work (in the secular world), less sacred compared to those carrying religious and missionary work. He also speaks about how we should live our lives - that every day should be a religious day - there shouldn't be a separation of the week into days that are secular, and days that are religious. His advice is that, the more we focus on God in our daily lives, and with Him taking centre stage in everything we do, then everything we do will start to be more meaningful and worthwhile.

On God and the workplace He has placed us within - 

"The workplace is a tough place but I have been encouraged by the belief that God has called us to be strengthened in the world for the world. This means embracing the challenges of a competitive world and growing through them in order to help others do the same. Knowing that each one of us has been placed in the world not by random accident but by God's design for a distinct purpose has carried me through many a difficult day."

On how we have to meld together God and work - 

"We are to be fruitful as well as faithful. We need growth in all areas of life - there is no steady state. Our talents, money, time, and resources are all God's gift to us and should be used well. Making the most of them will involve risk. The key point of this parable (Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30) is that the hand of fruitfulness needs the glove of faithfulness in order to grasp the opportunities that we are given. We cannot merely be faithful, simply taking what God has given us, preserving it, pickling it, and then producing it upon his return. Equally, we cannot merely be fruitful, simply adding to the resources he has given, without recognizing at the same time that we are servants awaiting the return of our master. As Paul instructs us all, the purpose of our work and our lives is to 'make the most of every opportunity' (Colossians 4:5)"

Labels: Books, Religion