What’s the difference between listening to a professional symphony orchestra and listening to a bunch of third graders in the band room trying to play their assigned instrument for the first time?
Both groups are playing the same instruments. The sound volume is probably about the same. But one group produces music that is soothing to the ear and inspiring to the heart. The other produces noise that is grating and unsettling. Music delivers diverse sounds together in a specific order. Otherwise, those diverse sounds are just noise.
We live in a world filled with chaos. And when you work, you are applying your skill, expertise, know-how, experience, and influence to bring order to that chaos. That’s what work does—it brings order out of chaos.
If your kitchen faucet springs a leak, the plumber you call certainly brings order out of chaos. When you take your shoebox full of receipts and tax documents to your accountant and they produce a tax filing that the IRS accepts, that too brings order out of chaos.
When I am worshipping God in church or perhaps listening to praise music in the car or just having a quiet time early in the morning before anyone else in the house is up, I am taking all my thoughts, all my to-do lists, pressures, challenges, fears and responsibilities and offering them to God saying, “Here, these are the things that are occupying my mind right now—but none of these are as important as you. So help me focus my attention and adoration on you.” That's worship.
When we worship, we are doing something we were created to do. Even the great songwriter/poet Bob Dylan acknowledged that we are all going to worship something.
So have you considered that when you do the things you are good at doing, when you are working on the things that not only bring you joy and fulfillment but pay the bills and provide meaning and purpose to your existence, that work can be a form of worship?
When you work, you are bringing order out of chaos. You are making the world a better place through the contribution of your time, energy, and effort. Think of that as worship.
Going back to my opening analogy, playing random notes only adds to the chaos. But when you play notes in concert with other musicians and follow a musical score together, those notes are no longer random. They are orchestrated—and the result can be fabulous.
Whether you work in a large office or at home as a solopreneur, know that when you work, when you apply your time and talent to do work, you are bringing order out of chaos. You are giving an offering of worship.
Perhaps this insight will allow you to find more meaning, purpose, significance, and joy in your daily endeavors. May your work as worship be impactful and inspired this week.
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