Celebrating the joy of the Lord

In biblical terms, the purpose of work, whatever it is and wherever it is done, is to bring glory to God. We were made to work with God. As Christians, our maxim should be to glorify God.

When excessive eagerness is cornered in the soul (your mind, will and emotions) and stimulates us to work only for remuneration and payment for efforts, it is possible that we miss the blessing of enjoying life as God intended through the fruits of labor. We will be able to win the world, and even to be successful, but we will inevitably affect the soul, because neither our thoughts, nor the decisions, nor the feelings, will be in tune in the same harmony with God.

When I was very young, a song by a famous Dominican merenguero of the time was heard on the Cuban radio. His name was Alberto Beltrán and his tune was titled “El negrito del Batey”. At the climax of the song, Alberto sang like this “… the work is that I leave everything to the ox, because the work was done by God as punishment”. Well, there are still those who think that way. Work was always in God's plan for his children and is not a consequence of sin as many interpret it. What God says in Genesis 3:19 can never be seen as a curse. “You will earn your bread with the sweat of your brow, until you return to the same land from which you were taken. Because dust you are and to dust you will return. " Man's participation in original sin earned him this sentence: work will exhaust us, but it will also bring blessing if we do it as a Christian duty to earn our daily bread when we serve others.

However, consciously putting work first, subordinating everything else to its results, can lead to spiritual ruin. I am one of those who, by dint of tests and discipline from God, see priorities like this today: God is in first place, family is second, work is third, church is fourth, and personal needs are in fifth place. This is my point of view, very personal, you do not necessarily have to establish them in the same way.

Solomon invites us to enjoy the pleasures of life, not in a hedonistic way (the excessive love of pleasure at all costs regardless of the rest), but in a correct balance with the rest of our duties, including work; the one who glorifies and honors our Maker. Solomon is not calling for debauchery and perversion, but for rejoicing, in lavish and Christian joy, of the fruits of honest work that come from the hand and grace of God. As Christians we must rejoice in the usefulness of our work.

Let's not lose our souls by trying to win the world (looking for success as a priority goal, centering life on possessions, living playing with temptations). Jesus conquered the world so that his children could conquer sin. To work with God is to collaborate with him in the fulfillment of his purposes in all his creation, he makes us stewards, ennobles our honor, enriches the soul.

Let's celebrate the joy of knowing ourselves useful, of putting gifts at the service of those who rewarded us with them. If we were required to sweat to earn our bread, Christ sweated more in the Garden of Gethsemane. Like drops of blood was his sweat for the lives of each one of us. The obedient son of God immolated himself over our disobedience and inaugurated the times of the benefit of grace to breathe life into our fallen nature. Let's do everything as for the Lord! He wants to infect us with his joy.

God bless you!