Perhaps because I was reading in Haggai this that it made me see John 17 in a new light.
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt (Haggai 2:4-5).
The Lord told Haggai to not just be strong, but also to work. For God is with them. The work was something that they were to do.
Then we flip to John 17 and read this:
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do (v 4).
What was the work that Jesus did? He had not yet died and resurrected.
Before we get there, there is a bigger purpose of work that we miss. And that is this: To Glorify God.
The purpose and goal of our lives is first and foremost to glorify God. What we do is far less significant. All that we do is to glorify God.
It’s easy to get caught up in the specifics of our hopes and dreams. Some live those. But whether we live them or not, our goal must and always be to glorify God in all that we do.
Our work is to glorify God.
Secondly, God puts us in us another specific work. That is to love one another. It is the main command of Jesus and one that he gave over and over.
Lastly, we have specific things that are our dreams, interests and callings. These will look different through different seasons of life.
I know of people who have had desires, hopes and plans all their lives but they weren’t able to fulfill them. Think of the person in a war zone who is just trying to survive. Or the refugee going to another land. Or the poor person who can’t afford the education to get the job. The one who wants to be a mother or father but can’t conceive. Or another person of whom the doors just won’t open up.
Sometimes the box that those dreams fit in do not unfold. But the root of them can. The person who dreams of opening a coffee shop and cannot raise the funds to do so may use their gift of hospitality and serve in another way. The parent who just cannot conceive a child can adopt or be a parent to the young people around them.
The work of Jesus was not smooth sailing. His work was to preach, teach, heal and deliver. All he did was good and they hated him for it. Through this he would glorify God because he did what his Father told him to do. It’s because of this that he glorified God.
The same with us. What’s most significant is that whatever we do it honors and glorifies God the father – whether that’s washing dishes, working in the garden, hosting others, or serving in our jobs.
Secondly is that we love one another. This honors God the Father when we truly care for each other.
And lastly, that we use our gifts and talents and hopes and dreams even if the box we would prefer them to be in does not unfold.