THE TRUTH ABOUT WORK-LIFE BALANCE
(See the 6 Devotional Discussion Questions at the end)
Years past, before starting Reason For Truth and being self employed, my wife and I both worked. She in corporate America and I for a small search firm out of the Washington D.C. area. Going back to the 1990’s, with the advancement of the “smart phone”, laptops, computers and technology, the issue of working “from anywhere” started to encroach into the personal lives of the average person working in the private sector. As a a result of a growing economy, technology, a strong work ethic and increased communications and travel technology, corporate America started using the phrase “work-life” balance to attract and keep good talented employees. In reality, overwhelmingly, this was more buzz word talk than in reality.
As with all things wise, the most authoritative, truthful and best source for addressing “work-life” balance is the Bible. The most wise man to ever live, King Solomon addresses the issue of work-family balance. Solomon addresses work-family or life balance and the opposite danger of being lazy and not working hard enough in Ecclesiastes in chapter four. Today, I am going to break that down for you in an effort to show you the truth about our carnal desire that is most often never satisfied with what we have (not content with what God has given us), or trying to game the system and God with laziness. This is what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 4:4-6.
“Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:4-6)
OBSERVATIONS: Before I dive in more deeply into this passage, notice a few things.
1) FIRST: Solomon witnessed first hand all that the toil of the skilled and educated person derives from mainly one source: OUR ENVYING OUR NEIGHBOR. Verse 4 pictures the skilled worker who, motivated by competition, becomes a workaholic for NOTHING. When I look at today’s world, I see good things in competition. Without competition, we wouldn’t have better cars, refrigerators, shoes and the list goes on. I would submit though that in the West, we have lost the goal of healthy competition for greed and money. For example, appliances are no longer built to last decades for only a few short years. The average microwave was designed roughly 3-4 years at most so that we can put them in the land fill and buy another, new unit to keep the stock prices up for public companies. This is the end-result of envying our neighbor, who in many cases, has much less than us. Competition is good within the boundaries of the Christian faith and guidelines of Scripture. For most of us today, with competitive sports teams and the like, we must be balanced, sober and aware of the pitfalls of greed and envying others or we risk getting way off track with what the Lord truly has for us in light of hurting others, ourselves as well as neglecting our children and spouse in light of professional and economic advancement. There is nothing wrong with making money and high-achievement. We should all be striving for those things, but within biblical context; and not justified as such. Solomon ends verse four with … “This also is a striving after the wind”.
2) SECOND: Notice that Solomon moves quickly to address the “fool” or the “lazy person” in verse 5 in that he or she “The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh”. This is the danger of the lazy person who doesn’t seek to better themselves with education, skills and work-ethic. This person quite often criticizes those who have been successful professionally, monetarily and in all other things done well in life. This is just as wrong as the misuse and abuse of our skills, gifts and work-ethic we spoke about in number one (verse 4). In Verse 5, Solomon pictures the opposite extreme-the fool who does not work at all or work hard enough and who, consequently “eats his own flesh” i.e. starves himself or herself to death. Two proverbs follow, “the fool”: There are numerous statements in the Book of Proverbs about the self-destruction e nature of laziness.
3) THIRD: Finally in verse six, we find the happy balance; the answer which is the Scripturally balanced truth. “Better is a handful of quietness than two hand full of toil and a striving after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6). The words, “A handful” means that: Moderation is preferred to overexertion. In place of the sometimes cruel competition of the marketplace, Solomon recommended: “Better is a little with rough toughness, than vast revenues without Justice” (Proverbs 16:8). Much of the world in great measure rejects this passage as foolishness in it’s sinful, competitive, power-driven and greedy levied drive to have more than others. And this is what destroys families, businesses, cultures, countries, governments and people’s lives if not kept in Scriptural balance.
IN CONCLUSION: A man is envied by his neighbor. Solomon added to three previously mentioned obstacles (See previous verses) to accepting that God’s plan encompasses everything is now added as the fourth obstacle: the envy and cruel competition found in the world. In the end, in the normal style of Qohelet (the Preacher/Solomon) gives us a helpful perspective on “labor” or our work in this futile world. On the one hand, working hard to succeed prompted by “rivalry”, the desire to have greater success than one’s peers (v.4). This desire is “a striving after the wind”, if for no other reason than that success is fleeting and unsatisfying. On the other hand a “fool folds his hands” (stops working hard) and starves to death as a result (v.5). In our modern culture, the fool either goes on government subsidies or takes a governmental style job that only requires that one show up and work very little (not much of a difference). This will end with the collapse of fiat currencies in the future. The truthful, Scriptural, best advise God gives us through Solomon is found in verse 6 which brings the two competing thoughts together. Qohelet contended that a person is better off settling with one less (one handful) than seeking for more (two handfuls). John D. Rockefeller, the founder of the Standard Oil Company, the first billionaire of the United States of America and once the richest man on earth was asked by a reporter, “How much money is enough?” He calmly replied, “Just a little bit more”. Or, just a second, third, forth and as many handfuls as I can get. And if we are honest with ourselves, our modern culture worships the Rockerfellers, the Warren Buffets, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos’ and all others like them in hopes that we can glean a bit of wisdom and insight as to how we can become wealthy and obtain a few handfuls more; even when we have plenty. The one who diligently labors, but settles for something less than the workaholic still has something to enjoy (unlike the lazy fool) without the cares and time contractions of the one driven by rivalry to succeed at all costs (cf. 2:22-24; Proverbs 15:16-17). There are very negative consequences for an unbalanced life laid out in verses 7-8. Perhaps we might look a t those next. This is not an easy concept to fully grasp in our consumer driven economy, fueled by material wealth, comfort, recreation and pleasure. No wonder drug and ALCHOHOL abuse are at an all time height. No wonder the abuse of sex for pleasure and lust has become the god above the true God for much of the world.
And this is God’s wisdom regarding work-family or work-life balance. It’s not a black and white answer in and of itself, but it’s black and white in it’s answer. God wants us to freely and of our own accord, to read this passage and struggle through what it means to live a meaningful life, happy and content with one good handful as opposed to filling our store houses and hands with more than we can or should carry. I pray you will read and pray through this and allow God to instruct you on your journey in life. For this is the only way for us to achieve true, biblically led, work-life balance.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENVY (v.4) and COMPETITION.
2) CAN YOU BE COMPETETIVE WITHOUT ENVY?
3) WHAT DOES THE FOOL/LAZY PERSON LOOK LIKE (v5) IN TODAY'S WORLD? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN BY A FOOL OR LAZY PERSON FAILING TO WORK?
4) FINALLY, WHAT DOES SOLOMON MEAN BY HAVING A HEALTHY BALANCE (v6)?
5) SHARE WITH THE GROUP: HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP WITH Verse 4 (ENVY), Verse 5 (LAZY WORKER) AND LIVING OUT A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT (V6)?
BONUS QUESTION: Talk out what it means in todays age to accomplish great things but still not grasp so far, hard and long to the point that you compromise or sacrifice your family or God given mission for money and success. Is it possible to have both?
