Created to Work: Rediscovering the Dignity of Our Calling

God Is a Worker
We often focus on the fact that God rested on the seventh day. But before He rested, He worked.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished… And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done.” (Genesis 2:1–2)

When God flung the stars into the sky, shaped mountains and rivers, designed gravity, and breathed life into humanity—He was working. Scripture explicitly calls it work.
That alone is profound.

Work is not beneath God. It is not an unfortunate byproduct of sin. It is woven into the very character of our Creator. Because God works—and God cannot do anything wrong—work itself must be good.

This stands in sharp contrast to much of our culture. Many see work as merely a means to an end. If we could avoid it, we would. When people win the lottery, what do they often do first? Quit their jobs.

But Scripture tells a different story.

Humanity Was Created to Work
In Genesis 2:15, we read:
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Notice something important: this is before sin enters the world. This is paradise. Adam is placed in a perfect garden—and he is given work to do.
Work was not the curse. It was part of the blessing.

In fact, earlier in Genesis 1:28, God gives what is often called the “cultural mandate”:
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…”
Humanity was created to cultivate, build, create, and steward. God creates out of nothing. We create from what He has already made. When we design, plant, build, code, teach, repair, compose music, or raise children—we are reflecting the image of our Creator.
There is dignity in that.

Is Work Cursed?
Some might object: “Doesn’t Genesis 3 say work is cursed?”
After Adam and Eve sin, God says in Genesis 3:17–18 that the ground is cursed and that work will now be painful and difficult.

But notice carefully: the ground is cursed—not work itself.
The fall didn’t create work; it made work harder.

That means even the perfect job will still have frustrations. Difficult coworkers. Computer crashes. Unexpected setbacks. Snowstorms when you have deliveries to make. Thorns and thistles show up in every profession.

Yet even in a fallen world, God still delights in faithful work.

Work Is Bigger Than a Paycheck
When we talk about work, we must broaden our definition.
Work is more than employment. It is vocation—our calling.
Caring for a disabled loved one. Serving in ministry. Investing in grandchildren. Volunteering. Sharing the gospel. These are all forms of kingdom work.

And yes—stay-at-home motherhood is real work.
Consider Susanna Wesley. She raised nineteen children in 18th-century England (nine of whom died in infancy). She educated them at home, prayed faithfully for them, and persevered through immense hardship—including a house fire.

Two of her sons were John Wesley and Charles Wesley. John helped spark the Methodist movement. Charles wrote over 9,000 hymns, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
You cannot tell the story of Christian history without acknowledging her work in the home.
Genesis 2 reminds us that work includes all the ways we cultivate what God has entrusted to us.

Work and Keeping: Stewardship Matters
Genesis 2:15 says Adam was to “work” the garden and “keep” it.
To “keep” means to guard, protect, and steward.
Dominion does not mean abuse. It does not justify exploitation or reckless consumption. At the same time, stewardship does not mean paralysis or refusing to build, create, or cultivate.

There is a balance.
We build homes—but we can also replant trees.
We develop resources—but we should minimize harm.
We improve creation—but we also protect it.
This too is part of our calling.

Work as Worship
The New Testament brings powerful clarity to this theme. In Colossians 3:23–24, we read:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men… You are serving the Lord Christ.”

When we understand this, everything changes.
We are not ultimately working for a paycheck.
Not for a boss.
Not for applause.
We are working for the Lord.

That transforms how we clean, write, build, manage, teach, parent, and serve. Excellence becomes worship. Dependability becomes witness. Integrity becomes testimony.
Even in jobs we dislike, we can ask:
How can I honor God here?
How can I serve Him through this?
Work becomes one of the primary ways we display the gospel to the watching world.

A Gospel Perspective on Work
When someone truly grasps the gospel—when their heart is transformed—it often reshapes how they approach work.
They begin to see:

• Work has dignity.
• Work has eternal purpose.
• Work is not meaningless.
• Work can glorify God.

This vision can change families. It can lift people out of destructive patterns. It can restore purpose to those who feel stuck or overlooked.
Because from the beginning, we were created to work.

A Prayer for the Week Ahead
As you step into this week—whether into an office, a classroom, a construction site, a hospital room, your kitchen, or retirement—remember:
Your work has value.
Your work has dignity.
Your work has eternal purpose.
May we work faithfully, joyfully, and wholeheartedly—as unto the Lord.

Scriptures Referenced

• Genesis 1:28
• Genesis 2:1–3
• Genesis 2:15
• Genesis 3:17–18
• Colossians 3:23–24
• Ephesians 2:10