1.7 Finding Joy in Our Work.

By the mantle of our fireplace, there are two works of art. The one above the mantle is a painting by Kayza of a photograph, from many years ago, of myself and the girls in Quebec's old city. The smaller one on the mantle is a watercolour by Lois of windmills. Both represent the work of an artist. Both are expressions of joy.

W. Edwards Deming was an American Engineer who went to Japan after World War II to teach his principles of quality management to industry leaders. He is often credited as the inspiration for the rise of Japan as a global leader in manufacturing. He is also the father of Total Quality Management (TQM). He taught that the first priority of management was to help the employee to find joy in their work. This was especially so for the worker in a mass-production factory. 

Take a moment to evaluate your progress in the last week. Think about it in terms of the paths you have taken regarding your work. You may not have set a specific goal but you may have worked towards an accomplishment. Accomplishment means to fulfill, fill up, or complete. There is a fullness about it. Work is about a calling, beauty in the mundane, connecting, orbiting, changing, and restoring. But we primarily think of work as a necessity to be able to afford to live. It is often foremost about money. But if it is a necessity, a chore, then it is best accomplished when you are able to find joy in your work. 

Recall that St Paul of Tarsus suggested that we should work so that we have something to share with others. Artists create art so that they have something to share with others. In so doing they find joy, and that joy spreads beyond themselves. Some people feel that they never find their calling. But St Paul also suggests that the church (literally the ecclesia, or called out ones) are those who are called out to assemble to hear the Voice. That is their calling, their work, their praxis. May you hear your calling, and in your work, find joy.

Next, we will depart from a focus on our Work and focus on our Household (2.1). But we will not leave our work or our calling behind. Our household is one of the primary reasons we work. Further, a great deal of our work takes place in our household. 

"This was painted about 2 years into my self-taught watercolour journey. It was one of the first few paintings I did without a tutorial that both surprised me at how well it turned out and brought joy at what had come of the many hours of learning & practice." LJ