(Image business-in-asia.com)
Why would I pick this photo of Vietnamese garment factory as an example? It would be called a sweatshop by most people, because of wages running under $50 a month. Most of you do not work in such conditions. But many do feel trapped in jobs that are not fulfilling, even when they pay well and have good working conditions..
Still, almost anyone can find fulfillment in their work. How would I know? Let me tell you. It won't take long.
This factory is more attractive and modern than the industrial garment factory that I worked in for 5 1/2 years. We wore uniforms. The noise was deafening, literally. Once we arrived and turned on our industrial machines, we had to yell to be heard.
In fact, our factory was worse than this one. We could not quit, or go on strike. Our pay was not sweatshop-low, but zero. We could be forced to work overtime. We were among the category of the only legal slaves in U.S., that of convicted felons. (The 13th Amendment, U.S. Constitution.) That would be us. We were all convicted felons, working in the huge garment factory of Goree Womens Prison, Huntsville Texas. So we were literally slave labor.
It was easy to resent forced work. In fact, slaves historically have slacked off, pretended to work, and sabotaged products. So we also had strict production quotas designed to counter any loafing. The quotas were set so high that the only way we could possibly meet them was to work at top speed all day. That also meant doing standardized-quality work, enforced by inspectors. But the speed was so high, and the standards so minimal, that it was impossible to do good-quality work and still meet the quota.
How could anyone find fulfillment in such work?
I was a new Christian, reading my Bible. It said: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Colossians 3:23) It was actually addressed to slaves, too. What did I have to lose? So I tried it.
What did that mean for my work? It meant I would seldom meet my quota again! That involved risking some consequences. But that was the only way I could do it. Why? We sewed garments for women in Texas institutions - blind, deaf, adult retarded. But our garments would literally fall apart at the seams after 2 or 3 washings. And that was unacceptable, if I were working for the Lord. He would not want us to send those women garments that would quickly fall apart.
They fell apart because we could not take time to "backstitch" each seam at the end. That would "lock" the seam and keep it from pulling apart at the ends. Home sewing machines can backstitch quickly, just by pushing a button or flipping a switch. But our industrial machines wouldn't do that. To backstitch on them, we had to swing the entire garment around backwards on the needle, and "backstitch" by stitching forward a few stitches in the opposite direction on the same seam. Then turn the entire garment around again for the next seam. And do that several times for each garment.
No one could do that and meet our quota.
From then on, I actually enjoyed my work. I had a purpose - making decent garments for those women. My work became very fulfilling, and stayed that way. (See here.)
But I still worked hard to make that quota. Sometimes I made it, but usually I fell a little short. I awaited whatever consequences might come. Actually, the punishment I expected never happened. But if it had, it wouldn't have mattered. I would have "worked as if to the Lord" in whatever new job they gave me.
What mattered was that I was being obedient to Christ, and that I knew I was doing good work for a good purpose. All those years, locked up in prison, working as a legal slave, I enjoyed repetitive, dull work under demanding conditions, and was truly fulfilled by it. I would do it all over again, in a minute.
Whatever your work is - providing it is not against the law or immoral - it is producing some positive good for society too. Focus on that.
Then, no matter what your work is or how much you may hate it, do it "with all your heart, as if to the Lord." You will have many rewards. One will be true fulfillment in your work. Try it for yourself. It works.
