Feeling unsatisfied by work or flat-out hating our jobs isn’t a new concept. For most people, work is something we feel forced to do in order to survive. A push against that frustration began to emerge more visibly on a global level beginning in 2020 after the COVID-19 global pandemic forced many employers and employees to shift how their businesses operated. The frustration born out of the change, and the subsequent shift back to in-office work, led to an increase in “quiet-quitting.” However, it didn’t stop there. “Beyond the workplace, the term ‘quiet quitting’ is now being applied to nonwork aspects of people’s lives, such as marriages and relationships” (Greg Daugherty, “What Is Quiet Quitting—And Is It a Real Trend?,” Investopedia, updated February 25, 2023, https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-quiet-quitting-6743910).
Phrases like, “Working for the weekend”or“ I’d rather be fishing/reading/skiing” are often used to make light of the drudgery of work and point to a longing for something that is more enjoyable or fulfilling for us. In the beginning, God created work to be a source of joy. Annette Griffin writes, “God didn’t place Adam and Eve in their garden paradise to relax and enjoy themselves. He gave them the command to cultivate their habitat and fill the earth. Adam and Eve were to work as an act of worship to God. And as they did, their lives would reveal God’s glory. Likewise, all Believers have a divine purpose. Every work of our hand and every word of our mouth should cultivate the world around us and point others to Him” (Annette Griffin, “What Can We Learn from the Garden of Eden?,” Christianity.com, June 7, 2022, https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-can- we-learn-from-the-garden-of-eden.html).
