Crosland Stuart

“When we trust our feelings more than anything else, we stop trusting expert knowledge. And it could kill us.” This is the sentiment that Tom Nichols and James K.A. Smith discuss in the Spring 2017 issue of Comment Magazine.  The entire issue is dedicated to Trust: Renewing Our Social Fabric. Although the first part of this article is a little challenging, I would encourage you to stick with it because of the profound insight Nichols and Smith are surfacing.  Trust is a critical component to our lives. It is the thread that holds together the civility and common grace we enjoy in America.  And of course ultimately it is a must for our faith and “trust” in Jesus Christ. There are important ideas presented here for all of us to consider deeply.  

No matter how confident we are, none of us is immune from feelings of inadequacies in our work. Questions stream into our consciousness without notice:  Am I up for the task? Is my life a disappointment to God? Am I meeting expectations? What is God doing in my life? Does my work have meaning?

We all share in our universal struggle for meaningful lives that fulfill a purpose, while at the same time give us the fruit of a flourishing life, namely, contentment.  The problem is most of us go about our pursuit in all the wrong ways.

Hugh Welchel, Executive Director of the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, in his article below once again gives us great insight into how we should thoughtfully reflect on our jobs.  His discussion gives us a helpful perspective and context by which we understand our common quest for meaningful work.  It may be that you are already engaged in meaningful work, but you have not realized it. 

Many conversations about work, particularly with regards to corporate decisions, seem to be about the dollars and cents of the bottom line.  No one is suggesting that profits are not an important part of one’s business plan. However, it should not be the only important concept driving decisions. The article below from the March issue of First Things offers a different perspective and one that should be more in the forefront of our thinking when faced with business decisions. Max Torres, the author of this article, reminds us that work is not just about income.  It is reinforcing what we already know to be true from Scripture and that is work is good.