Carrying Work's Assumptions Across the Threshold
Still reading David Halberstam's The Fifties, I was struck by his description of the home life of a Major General from World War II. Even having transitioned into civilian life, "He treated his family as a regiment in battle."
As usual, there is both worth here, and caution. Where work teaches discipline and we bring that home to model in marriage and parenthood, to God be the glory. Where work helps us to accustom ourselves to subordinating our own desires for the good of the whole and we bring that across home's threshold, to God be the glory. Where work's actual or metaphorical wars make us justly suspicious of the enemy of our souls and his opportunities to limit and misappropriate the harvest of our efforts, to God be the glory. Work and dominion are blessed for these purposes.
Yet, our family members are not primarily our employees or our soldiers. We see the bleedover biblically in the life of King Saul. He creates distance between himself and his admirable son Jonathan because he seems unable to treat his son as something other than a subordinate soldier or prop in his perpetual political campaign. Because saw is prone to see intriguing subordinates around him at court, he is ready to cast even Jonathan's pure affections for his friend David in the same way. Because Saul wants to use his armies to avenge his own enemies, he is ready with the vow of rash, extreme, impractical piety which nearly costs his loyal son his life.
If we are looking to distinguish between familial and vocational roles, William Wilberforce provides an interesting model. Wilberforce used his position in Parliament to battle for years against Britain's slave empire. He would use the time walking home from Westminster to recite the entirety of Psalm 119 which at great length expresses gratitude for God's Word. Then the warrior for the righteousness of that Word in the public sphere would rejuvenate himself and his family by playing gleefully with his children. As we put on the armor which will prove necessary to work well in a fallen world, let us see work by the Word. As we, also in biblical perspective, make ourselves vulnerable for the most intimate relationships of family life, let us see that too as distinct, and yet as complementary aspects of the glory of God.
As usual, there is both worth here, and caution. Where work teaches discipline and we bring that home to model in marriage and parenthood, to God be the glory. Where work helps us to accustom ourselves to subordinating our own desires for the good of the whole and we bring that across home's threshold, to God be the glory. Where work's actual or metaphorical wars make us justly suspicious of the enemy of our souls and his opportunities to limit and misappropriate the harvest of our efforts, to God be the glory. Work and dominion are blessed for these purposes.
Yet, our family members are not primarily our employees or our soldiers. We see the bleedover biblically in the life of King Saul. He creates distance between himself and his admirable son Jonathan because he seems unable to treat his son as something other than a subordinate soldier or prop in his perpetual political campaign. Because saw is prone to see intriguing subordinates around him at court, he is ready to cast even Jonathan's pure affections for his friend David in the same way. Because Saul wants to use his armies to avenge his own enemies, he is ready with the vow of rash, extreme, impractical piety which nearly costs his loyal son his life.
If we are looking to distinguish between familial and vocational roles, William Wilberforce provides an interesting model. Wilberforce used his position in Parliament to battle for years against Britain's slave empire. He would use the time walking home from Westminster to recite the entirety of Psalm 119 which at great length expresses gratitude for God's Word. Then the warrior for the righteousness of that Word in the public sphere would rejuvenate himself and his family by playing gleefully with his children. As we put on the armor which will prove necessary to work well in a fallen world, let us see work by the Word. As we, also in biblical perspective, make ourselves vulnerable for the most intimate relationships of family life, let us see that too as distinct, and yet as complementary aspects of the glory of God.
Comments
Post a Comment