Finding the 'Why' Behind Your Work :: HCC April Newsletter
Published 8 days ago • 3 min read
Life is busy. There are exams to study for, kids to raise, project deadlines to meet, and people to care for. With all these demands, time can pass with a feeling that success means just checking the boxes, paying the bills, and keeping your head above water.
But when life doesn’t slow down and stressors compound, busynesscan turn intoburnout. Work feels like drudgery, and we find ourselves exhausted, cynical, and numbing out in ways which bring temporary relief but aren’t good for the heart. The average American spends 90,000 hours working over their lifetime—about one-third of their lives—and that doesn’t include household chores or relational investments like parenting or helping others.
With so much of our lives being given to work, how can our efforts be more enjoyable, and our responsibilities not leave us exhausted and overwhelmed?
The View of Work in Scripture
The Bible begins with God’s work week - a beautiful project of Creation. Jesus later claims “my Father is still working all the time and so I am working also” (John 5:17) yet still seems to be in a good mood, desiring us to carry the samejoy that he does (John 15:11).
The Apostle Paul worked to plant and pastor churches across the known world while carrying on with his tent-making trade to support himself, and even during his lowest moments (arrested, shipwrecked, publicly humiliated and beaten for carrying out his heavenly assignments), he retained his sense of joy, even singing worship songs while imprisoned.
Paul understood not just what God had called him to do, but the why behind it. Paul, like Jesus, was compelled by love.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation
Discovering the why behind our work can be difficult, but it is even harder to live without a clear sense of why.Two basic categories that can describe our underlying drives are "extrinsic motivation" and "intrinsic motivation."
Extrinsic motivation is tied to seeking external rewards like approval, recognition, and status. In effect, this can look like feeling guilt-driven: ruled by expectations of others, not wanting to disappoint or let people down. It can also be fear-driven: a scarcity mindset consumed by lack, constantly worried about what could go wrong, and afraid of punishment, criticism, or blame. Even being motivated by money can be adjacent to worshiping it. Jesus is clear that we can’t serve two masters, and where our treasure (i.e. motivation) is, there our heart will be also. So without guilt, fear, or money to motivate us, what reason is there left to work?
Intrinsic motivation describes a drive toward internal rewards—curiosity, mastery, or a sense of purpose which flows from one's inner values and convictions. Consider two chefs: one sees cooking as just a paycheck (low enjoyment, extrinsically motivated), while the other revels in crafting new recipes and preparing dishes with excellence (high enjoyment, intrinsically motivated). The latter is more likely to innovate, persist through failures, and report higher life satisfaction.
The good news is that any task or assignment can be a labor of love when done in communion with Jesus as an act of worship. When we work, we are stewarding the material world that God made and loves, partnering with him in his Kingdom as co-creators in every sector of society.
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Work as Worship
Brother Lawrence was a 17th-century monk whose letters recorded in The Practice of the Presence of God sought to transform ordinary work—washing dishes, preparing meals, scrubbing floors—into an act of worship by doing it with love and devotion. In whatever contexts you find yourself, whether student, manager, parent, helper, or any other type of role, we can choose to see every moment of work as an opportunity to commune with God.
Contentedness and gratitude can become the heart posture of our workday as we’re blessed to present each of our endeavors to God as an offering. In every task and project, we discover joy that comes with letting Jesus live his life through us.
Written by: Aaron Jones, MA (Clinician)
Want to go further? Try these self-reflection questions!
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