The work culture of every office - good or ill - is set by a few people at the top. If the core leaders are tight, if they work in close coordination, and if they like what they are doing together, then their synergy radiates out with positive catalytic influence throughout the entire organizational chart.
 
The same is also true of work spiritually. A Christian approach to work-life means following the example set at the top - in this case a leadership core of three: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. From all eternity, this divine triumvirate has been working together. Understanding their working relationship is the first step toward a Christian work-life.
 
The Trinity worked even before creation. In one sense, each member of the Trinity was totally self-sufficient, so why would they work? A secret of the Three in One Godhead is its communion - commitment to the other. They work to serve each other not out of need but out of love, as an extension of their very being.
 
We are taught to approach work as an expression of individuality, but more fundamentally, the Trinity teaches us that work is a manifestation of commitment to community. Contrary to the me-ethos of the free market economy, work is founded on a commitment to others. Work means offering what is uniquely me - my work - as a service to others. When I do that I experience a little more of what God is like and I become a little more like who He is.
 
So, as a believer, my work is meant to be a by-product of my participation in the community of the Godhead. As I drink in the security, love, and infinite provision available to me in my relationship with God, I can then afford to take the risk of serving others in a fallen world. Working in community with God means daily choosing to allow the example of His character to set the standard of why I work and how I work. It means allowing God to incarnate a little of that divine working culture through me in my place of work today.
 
Work as God intended it is like nuclear fission. The crucial core is the Trinity whose activity of eternal communion and mutual service is a catalyst for an ever-widening chain reaction. As I expose myself to its radical fellowship, I am freed, motivated and empowered to work for the benefit of others. Is your work-life nuclear powered?
 

Michael Carter, Greenville, SC www.beachboyrealestate.com