Like good Greek-thinking Westerners we have broken down how to work heartily into its parts: the mind, the will, and the emotions. Now it’s time to put them back together and with the assistance of some examples, see what it looks like holistically to labor wholeheartedly.
Fortunately, we have the ultimate example in Jesus, a great example in the Apostle Paul, and an entertaining example in a couple classic movies.
Jesus: the ultimate example
Jesus is the ultimate example of what it means to do one’s work wholeheartedly.
Let’s start with Jesus’ mental engagement in His work. Jesus was being pressed in upon by a crowd but was still able to discern when someone touched Him in faith. Mark 5:25-34. Or how about when the scribes were silently questioning Jesus authority to forgive sins? Jesus was so engaged He perceived what they were thinking. Luke 5:20-22. Or there was the time when Jesus, being so keenly aware of surroundings even in a crowd, that He noticed Zacchaeus perched expectantly in a sycamore tree, called him by name, and engaged him in a way that changed Zacchaeus’s life. Luke 19:1-10. And then there is Jesus’ declaration, “I only do what I see the Father doing.” John 5:19. Jesus was always engaged, watching what the Father was doing in each situation, so He would know what to do.
Jesus was also invested emotionally in His work. When the Seventy returned and told Jesus of their success, Jesus “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit” and began praying to and praising the Father. See Luke 10:21. Then there is the example at the tomb of Lazarus where Jesus was “deeply moved” (John 11:33) and actually wept. John 11:35. Jesus was not stoically detached from the situation. He lived in the fullness of human emotion the death of his friend inspired, but He corralled those emotions to confront death and call Lazarus from the tomb. See John 11:34-44.
As emotionally invested in His work as Jesus was, He was not controlled by His emotions. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had to deal with His human emotions counseling Him to avoid submitting to the horrible specter of death by crucifixion. Jesus had a choice, but He exercised His will to corral His emotions, culminating in His famous declaration, “Not my will but yours be done.” Matthew 13:36-43.
Jesus’ will in working heartily was not just manifested in corralling his mind and emotions but in working hard. I think of Jesus ministering all day and feeding thousands, and then instead of packing it in, He sends His disciples on ahead and goes up a mountain to pray. See Matthew 14:13-23. Or there is the time earlier in His ministry when Jesus goes up a mountain and prays all night. Jesus then comes down in the morning and immediately begins ministering to people. See Luke 6:12-19.
The Apostle Paul
The Apostle Paul was a man who practiced what he preached when it came to working wholeheartedly. When Paul came to Corinth, he had to deal with “weakness,” fear, and anxiety to preach the gospel. I Corinthian 2:1-3. Paul could have given in to these emotions, abandoned the idea of preaching to Corinthians, or just moved on to the next city. Instead, he corralled his emotions, did God’s will, and preached the gospel.
When Paul wrote to the Colossians he reminded them he had not only labored amongst them but was “striving according to His power” to help Christ be formed in them. This “striving” refers to an intense and earnest effort—a wholehearted effort. See Colossians 1:28-29.
Paul’s letters are replete with examples of him working fully engaged in his mind and not being distracted. He told the Philippians he made a conscious effort in “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13-14. Paul did not allow the things of the past to divide his mind or distract him from being fully mentally engaged in his work. He preached to the Corinthians, inviting them to join him in taking every thought captive, so they could do God’s will. See 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Movie illustrations
If you haven’t figured it out from my movie reviews on this blog, I am a movie lover. One of the things I love about movies is that they convey ideas by way of illustration not just information. Movies can create vivid mental images of profound principles. This is certainly true with regard to working heartily.
In this series in a prior post, I’ve discussed the powerful scene in the 1981 Academy Award winning movie, Chariots of Fire. I’ve provided a video clip from that movie that captures what it looks like to work wholeheartedly.
The 1993 movie, Rudy, is also good example. Rudy Ruettiger’s dream was to play football for Notre Dame, but he was too small. He goes to junior college, then gets admitted into Notre Dame, and tries out as a walk-on to the football team. He has no chance of actually playing in a game, but he plays so full-out on every play that, despite his size, he makes the practice squad that helps the team get ready each week for the game.
Rudy plays so full-out on every play that some of the Notre Dame players resent him because he exposes their lack of effort. In the movie, head coach Ara Parseghian notices and the following exchange ensues:
Parseghian: What’s your problem, O’Hare, what’s your problem?
O’Hare: Last practice of the season and this a**hole thinks it’s the Super Bowl!
Parseghian: You just summed up your entire sorry career here in one sentence! If you had a tenth of the heart of Ruettiger, you’d have made All-American by now! . . .
Rudy (1993)
In your work
Athletic or physical examples like those in Chariots of Fire and Rudy are readily available because what athletes do is physical and is easily seen. Those examples are more applicable to physical work like that of a construction, warehouse, or assembly line worker. In such jobs, the challenge may be in keeping one’s mind or emotions engaged.
In jobs that require heavy emotional investment, such as that of a hospice or social worker, pastor, or one in the hospitality industry, keeping one’s emotions engaged may be the primary challenge. And in jobs that are primarily intellectual, like that of an attorney, architect, or accountant, the challenge may be in using one’s will to direct one’s mind to remain engaged for long periods of time. Each job has its own challenges, but it’s up to us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to overcome those challenges so we can engage our work with all our soul.
What a wholehearted effort looks like also depends on the nature of the job. If the job is primarily intellectual, working heartily will probably look like an intense focus on the task at hand or working long hours to ensure a task is done and done well. If the work is primarily physical it may look more like Rudy Ruettiger or Eric Liddell leaving it all on the track or field. If it is a job that relies more heavily on the emotional, like caregiving or hospitality, it will look like an authentic and appropriate demeaner at the point of connection with the patient or customer.
Generally though, working with all one’s heart manifests in one being fully engaged mentally, totally committed, and genuinely enthused about one’s work in a way that is apparent to those with whom we work. And where we fall short, we can know there is always a Helper, who is waiting only for us to ask for help.
The end game
So, we are to do our work with our mind, will, and heart–wholeheartedly. Interestingly, there is only one other time in the New Testament where we are instructed to do something with all our heart, soul, and mind and that is when Jesus commands us how we are to love God. Matthew 22:37. We are to engage our work with all of who we are in the same way that we are to love God with all of who we are.
That does not mean we are to love our work as much as we loveGod. The similarity has to do with the manner in which we engage each; both demand an engagement of our whole person. It is an issue of the fullness of our engagement, not the level of our affection. Our work should engage us—or better—we should engage our work with all that we are, not just a part.
Now, can you imagine how the world might be different if we, as Christians, lived out the commandment to work wholeheartedly? Christians would be sought out above other employees like gold is sought over silver and bronze. GS
