According to Dennis Ju, a software programmer for Liferay in Southern California, students enter the workforce with two main emotions: excitement and fear.
“Excitement for this new chapter filled with opportunities and fulfillment, and fear because this next chapter will last the next 40 years of their life,” he said. “There is a great trepidation of entering the ‘rat race.’”
Though both feelings are valid, Dennis said they must be guided, lest we end up falling into the same pitfalls as the rest of the world.
Pitfall: Believing work is ultimate.
Pitfall: Work is a curse.
“Those are the two fallacies we must guard our hearts against lest work becomes either an idol or it becomes utterly toilsome,” Dennis said.
He gives two pieces of advice to do so.
ONE. Guard Your Excitement
“Fear that excitement and be guarded,” he said. “Be excited for the God-given joy to derive from work, but beware the danger of work becoming your life pursuit. An ambition for earthly greatness and finding self-worth in work has been the downfall of many Christians.”
TWO. Guard Your Thoughts About Work
“Work is frustrating and toilsome, there’s no sugar-coating that,” he said. “The flip side of the temptation to make work an idol is the temptation to think work is meaningless and should be avoided.”
Guard your heart from pursuing freedom from work.
Guide your fear into a realization that work is cursed not a curse.