This enticing concept for work life has recently gone viral through internet posts from Marisa Jo Mayes, who describes herself as a self-employed TikTok creator and startup founder. She explains it this way: “One day last March, I gave myself permission to do the absolute bare minimum for work, and it was like some magic spell came over me. I felt better. I wasn't overwhelmed, and I actually got more done than I expected.” She explains that it helps her avoid the dread and pressure that many people feel when returning to work on Mondays. “It's really a way to start the week prioritizing yourself as a person over yourself as an employee.”
“Quiet quitting” appears to be a close cousin of bare-minimum Mondays, a term coined during the changes in the work environment over the last few years. According to Forbes Magazine, this is the trend where employees put in a minimal amount of effort just to get through the workday. The idea is to simply meet the job description, but nothing more.
While some proponents of the trend admit that not everyone may be able to enjoy bare-minimum Mondays in their particular profession, it provides us with a great starting point to discuss work-related topics about which the Bible has a lot to teach us. As a Christian, what are our responsibilities toward the Lord, toward our employer, toward our family, and toward other employees?
Let me start by saying that there are some really difficult jobs out there. It’s hard to even make a list because there are so many. Suffice it to say that businesses that normally thrive on customer service would not be getting a lot of business if they practiced bare-minimum Mondays, and public life-and-safety would be directly affected if emergency and medical services allowed this with their employees.
At the same time, we have other responsibilities outside of work. So what does the Bible say about the whole area of work-life balance? What happens if our employer appears to be taking advantage of our desire to do our best every day? Is there a limit to how much we should serve?
The Scriptures say a lot about work. In fact, shortly after God created Adam, He gave him a job: He “put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Then when sin came into the world, the job got a lot harder, with thorns and thistles in the garden and as the Lord told Adam, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread ….” (Genesis 3:19). Many specific jobs are described throughout the remainder of the Scriptures: farming, building, cooking, medical work, teaching, military service, pastoring, worship-leading, and so on. Work is so basic to life that Proverbs 6:6-11 teaches us that even the ant is industrious: “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise ….”
The New Testament also describes the virtues of work, and talks about employee/employer relationships. We interpret the master/servant language today as representing that relationship. But there a third party is also involved, namely, for whom are we ultimately doing our work? Colossians 3:23 is one of those references.
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
This doesn’t sound like bare-minimum Mondays. It is really a transformational biblical principle about serving, even when serving is not easy. The Greek word translated “heartily” is most often translated “life” (e.g. in John 15:13) and “soul” (e.g. in Luke 10:27). In other words, “do your work with all your soul.” Another way to put it is that the best workers are those who do well even when the earthly boss is not looking.
Some of us work in highly stressful environments. Some of us have jobs that are more low key. Some jobs have higher compensation than others. Some are more team-oriented while others require us to work independently. Some of us have great bosses and colleagues; others struggle with difficult work relationships. But the great unifying principle we have as believers is that we ultimately work for the Master of the universe. Like many earthly bosses, He has the expectation that we will do our best; but He also notices our hard work even when earthly bosses do not. So with that as the overall context, here are a few biblical principles to keep in mind as we do our work:
- Even in difficult circumstances we can be (and should be) content. The Apostle Paul wrote “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Philippians 4:11-12). Then we often take the next verse out of context: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We tend to associate this verse with some heroic act of faith, when the context is really being content in our circumstances, whether humble or prosperous, and whether easy or difficult. Only through the grace of Christ can we do this, remembering that “… for your sake He became poor so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9) – and this wasn’t talking about the world’s wealth.
- So how do we balance the priorities of life between family, church/ministry, and work? One way to think about this is that when life starts to get really complicated and even overwhelming at times, go back to the basics that Jesus taught in Matthew 22:37-39 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (same Greek word as ‘heartily’ in Colossians 3:23), and with all your mind … and your neighbor as yourself.” In other words, ask “what is the loving thing to do at this moment and in this situation?” While that may be difficult to discern, at least the focus will be in the right place; and it will prepare us for prayerful decision-making, guided by the Holy Spirit. Focusing on the “loving thing to do” question could save us from an impulsive decision that makes matters worse. Here, everyone’s answer may be different, and even our own answer to that question may vary, depending on the specific circumstances. Some weeks and months may be filled with work deadlines that require additional hours. At other times, work may be more manageable and less in conflict with other priorities.
-
What do I do about a difficult boss? We were teaching a Self-Confrontation class in Colombia, South America a few years ago and a young lady explained to the group how difficult it had been to work for her boss, who she thought was completely unreasonable. And maybe her boss was exactly that. In response, the instructor took the group to 1 Peter 2:18-19 where it is written “Servants be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.” The passage was so directly relevant, that the class (and she) couldn’t help but laugh. This does not mean that we have to stay in a difficult job situation forever. But neither are difficult bosses or stressful work relationships reasons to quit, in and of themselves. The very job we are in may be the only chance for someone else to see the love of Jesus shining through us.
- When is it proper to look for another job? While we are to be content in the situation we are in, being content does not mean that we never look for a better job. We may even need to leave a current job to help management understand that their treatment of employees is neither acceptable nor in their own interest. The most loving thing for them may be for us to graciously resign. Perhaps before that, though, we should have a lovingly serious discussion with our boss about the work environment. Or perhaps we need to make that decision for the purpose of better caring for or blessing our family. The point is that we do not make difficult decisions just because the situation is hard for us personally. If Jesus had made decisions just for Himself, He never would have gone to the cross. He made that decision out deep love for His Father . . . and (thankfully) for us.
The overarching biblical truth: When you think about it, this biblical principle (making decisions out of love for the Lord and for our neighbor) applies not just to work but to relationships in general. God says in Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” A tough decision may not be perceived as an act of love by a boss, an employee, one of your children, or even a friend. But it should be our intent to make that decision as an act of love toward them, not just a convenience for us. Bare-minimum Mondays? Quiet quitting? Hmmm. It’s difficult to imagine those being done as selfless acts of love. Prayerfully applying the two greatest commandments in everyday decisions, though not always easy, is the ultimate work-life balance.
Steve Smith