Joy’s Story: The Value and Dignity of Work

Last updated on: January 27, 2015 at 1:18 pm by Bob Robinson

Joy’s Story: The Value and Dignity of Work 2015-01-27T13:18:08-04:00 Bob Robinson

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David Spickard is the President and CEO of Jobs for Life (JfL), a global non-profit organization that engages and equips the local Church to address the impact of joblessness through the dignity of work. He wrote an amazing story at Live58 that explains why work is so integral to what it means to be human and to participate in God’s mission in the world.

Joy grew up in a home absent of work. Her mom got by on public assistance and her dad was nowhere to be found. Child support from her dad was never a possibility so Joy, her mom, and her siblings lived from one disbursement check to another, not receiving anywhere close to what they needed to get by.

Whenever there was a need for food or a bill to be paid, which was often, Joy’s mom told her to run around the corner to see her grandfather for help. Dutifully, she went, but in order to receive his help, she had to do something for him.

No one had ever touched her where her grandfather touched her. He made her feel dirty and alone. But how else was she to get what her family needed?

She would go out of obedience but he would molest her every time. The pattern never stopped and it became the defining experience of every male interaction Joy had growing up – male cousins, uncles, and other men in the community. All of them “touched on” her and continued to rob her of dignity and value.

That abuse led her to a life of prostitution and drugs over the next 20 years. During that time, she had six children with five different fathers. Tired of living on the streets, she started dealing drugs. Women would flock to her and she began to “take care” of them the only way she knew how – by helping them get high to escape the pain of life. After a while, she realized she wasn’t really helping them at all. She was only hurting them and aiding in the destruction of their lives.

That’s when the police raided her home and change was forced upon her.

The story goes on to tell of a group of women from a local church who consistently held Bible studies in the jail where Joy was being held.

The impact was significant yet they realized holding a Bible study was not enough. The likelihood of the incarcerated women returning to jail was too high if they did not have a job or a support system to help them succeed upon their release.

As a result, they decided to flip the list and lead a Jobs for Life class in the jail, teaching the women God’s design for work and what it means to find and keep a meaningful job.

Spickard provides this bold insight:

When people do not work, there is more poverty, crime, recidivism, homelessness, divorce, unwanted pregnancies, substance abuse, domestic violence, debt, depression, and suicide. Joy experienced almost all of these.

Work is extremely important to God. After all, God worked to create the universe and when He made us, the very first thing He did was give us a job. Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground (Genesis 1:28).

Through work, we experience dignity, unleash our unique gifts, create community, renew cities and worship God. The Church is particularly called and positioned to advance God’s Kingdom in the world by helping people experience the dignity of work.

But there’s a problem.

The National Congregations Study, a major survey of church congregations from all over the United States, discovered something interesting about the way churches engage people in need. They found the top outreach program of the Church is food, the second is housing, and the third is clothing. And at the bottom of the list? Work. The study found that only 2% of churches in America engage in efforts to help people learn and experience the dignity of work.

From a perspective of providing aid, the study makes sense. We are more apt to begin with the providing for the immediate need and giving out of our excess. What Joy needed wasn’t food or used clothes, rather to walk in relationship with someone to encourage and support her and help her find a meaningful job. Her barriers were overwhelming. She did not have the confidence in herself, let alone the skill-set to thrive as a productive employee. But, let me ask a question.

What if we flipped the list?

David Spickard is asking the church to reintegrate faith, life and vocation for the sake of those in need. Sounds like a great idea to me! What if local churches began seeing work as a major part of their discipleship paradigm? What impact for the sake of the the kingdom of God would we then make?

To read the rest of Joy’s story, and to see a video of her testimony see: Joy’s Story: The Value and Dignity of Work

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The Fragrance of Suffering

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