Labour Disputes

  I’m fine with whatever kind of world you want to build.  I truly am.  I don’t plan on staying here for much more than 40 years or so anyway.  So please don’t take this as a scathing criticism of any kind.  I don’t much care what kind of ideology or political system you support.  In my mind, they’re all flawed.  I wonder how long it will take before we realize that none of our ‘isms’ actually work.

   This year, our daughter entered the public school system, and it just so happens that it’s another year with a labour dispute.  Anymore, it seems as though there is some kind of dispute every time the contract comes to its close, whether we’re dealing with hockey players, nurses or teachers.

  As for education, it hasn’t always been this way. I grew up in a world where teachers taught, nurses nursed and hockey players played hockey without having a labour dispute every 3 years.  There have always been issues for sure.   And no.  It’s not just me and how I remember things.  I ask people older than myself, and it really hasn’t always been this way.  My take on it is this:  Without Christ, nothing works well.

   I’m not sure if you know this or not, but when people are doing something either for God or a god, they work differently than if they are simply working for money.  Some people will hijack a plane or strap on a suicide vest, blowing themselves up at a busy shopping mall.  Others surrender their own comfort and ease in order to help the poor, free the oppressed, keep the peace or heal the sick. 

  I know a guy who writes stuff.  He has written for the past 11 years, publishing two books and it has cost him thousands.  He does what he does because he senses that it is God’s calling in his life.    I know a young woman who works tirelessly at trying to raise funds to set other women free from sexual slavery.  She doesn’t get paid.  She does it because she thinks that her God cares about justice.  I know several people who teach their students without being financially compensated, merely because they are convinced that God wants them to do so, and because they love their students more than they love their own life.

  It is not the norm, but it is very common for believers to leave successful careers in the “secular” world, in order to pursue positions that pay significantly less, all because they believe that their God is calling them to do so.  It’s common in Christian circles, but I find it to be extremely rare outside of those circles.

  For a person who views their work as their calling, they don’t do it for the contract, paid sick days, job security or benefits.  They do it because of their faith.  They do it because they want to help people.  If they were able, they would do what they do for free.  They even find ways to make their own money in order to subsidize their service to their God; taking on their role at great personal cost, sometimes at the expense of their very lives.

  There is such a thing where a person actually views their career as their calling.  There is a word which embodies such an attitude.  Instead of a career, it’s called a vocation.  (Not to be confused with a vacation)  For a person who views their work as a vocation, they don’t serve primarily for the salary or the pension plan.  They are there because they believe in a purpose which is far beyond money.  Sure, they need to provide for their family.  They do need to eat, but the reward is bigger than the contract itself.  As long as their family is provided for, they are content, because they see the meaning behind the service.

 We live in a land where there are fewer people who confess Christ as Lord as the generation before, and as such, fewer people view their careers as a personal God given mission while here on earth.  So likewise, our service depends more and more on the terms of our employment contract, which is never really enough to keep us content for long.

  I know this isn’t the complete picture.  I’m just here to bring the scenes to mind which are never brought to the forefront on the CBC.

  If you are a teacher, a nurse or a hockey player who views their career as their calling, I am very thankful for you.  You are a dying breed.  If you’re just doing it because you need a job, I’m thankful for you too.

  Consider what is said about Jesus in Colossians.

Colossians 1:17

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

  I don’t have a whole lot of hope for our nation.  I believe that Jesus is the One holding all things together, and that includes the institutions of our country.  I also believe that He is a gentleman.  As we ask Him to leave us be, He lets us be.  I think we’re just a few years behind most of Europe.

  Maybe you are of the sort that thinks we’re evolving.  As for me, when I look at the world, I wonder how far we have to fall before we realize that the course we’re charting really isn’t working out for us.

  Enjoy your world.  It’s a short stay.  If I had a concluding statement, it would be this.

It takes a huge pile of cash to compensate for a God given mission.