Jobs

So one of my most charming traits, besides my ability to fart with my hands, juggle everything that stands still, and yell at my children in German, is my talent finding worth in folks and work for folks.

The people around me might not find it that charming because it normally means I will ask them to do a task, but I only ask because I love them and think they can. 

I realized my propensity to find work for everyone today when I tried to put Donna Walker's bodyguard to work. Mrs. Walker is a delightful woman and the wife of our governor. She loved hanging out with the children, who knew bodyguards didn't do that?

 I asked him a few questions about what he liked to do and he was pretty vague answering. Then I suggested several fabulous tasks, like, asking the youth questions, or helping in the reading room, or working with the garden. 

He gave me a look. 

That's when it finally clicked. He has a job and working in the garden with children is not part of it.

When we went to Cuba moons ago, I will never forget visiting a senior home where an aged revolutionary stood in the middle of the garden with a carrot held high saying, "As long as I can, I will work and give back to my country, my people." 

One of the problems I see with so many of the work requirements in peoples' brains and in public assistance systems, is we want to see people work, but we don't do anything to help folks feel like they matter and they are worth anything. We don't do a good job as a community investing in folks so they in turn feel invested in the community.

We dismiss people and think we are doing a favor by relieving them of work. We demean folks and demand work that often leaves people more disconnected from family and community.

I know that tying our sense of worth and work together can be destructive, but I also think there is a basic fusion where we find meaning in our work and to find work we need to feel like we have meaning. 

There are few folks who participate in life at our church without participating in the mission and work of the congregation. To steal Nadia Bolz-Weber's description of a healthy church, I really do believe we are a "community of producers instead of consumers."

That's a huge leap for a church or anyone in a community. We change from "what will you give me or do for me" into offering what we have and trusting the folks around us to do the same. 

I love summer lunch. It's exhausting and hard work for lots of folks, but forming relationships, filling a need, seeing kids and families pitch in to also help and own the program makes life a bit more meaningful and rich. 

So if you don't want to feel meaningful or get put to work, and if you want to be around me, you better learn to juggle because I can be easily distracted too.