God @ Work #4 – How Much Work Is Enough?

We know God wants us to work, but how much work is enough?

Possible answers:

(MULTILINE)

This is no theoretical question.

Here are some recent statistics from various studies in the United States about work-life balance:

66% of Americans don’t have work-life balance.

48% of Americans say they’re workaholics.

77% have experienced burnout at their workplaces.

94% of employees think work-life balance is important.

73% see work-life balance as a core factor when job searching, with 61% saying they wouldn’t accept a job if it impacted their work-life balance

48% would quit a job if it made it impossible for them to enjoy their life

https://lifehackmethod.com/blog/work-life-balance-statistics/#:~:text=66%25%20of%20Americans%20don’t,lack%20of%20parental%20leave%20policies.

The American Psychological Association reports that about 550 million working days are lost every year due to employee burnout, while 91% of the respondents found their jobs increasingly stressful, leading them to give low-quality results.

About 7 out of 10 full-time employees believe that they do not spend enough time on personal activities because of their demanding work schedules. Nearly 33% of US full-time workers work on holidays or weekends.

Technology has increased the challenge of separating life and work.

How many have gotten a text or phone call from work outside of job hours?

How many have had an online meeting outside of job hours?

How many have done work while on vacation, during days off, or on a holiday?

So you don’t fell alone, some statistics:

“Work-life balance statistics indicate that 57% of employees feel frustrated because technology ruins their family dinner. With employers expecting a reply within the hour to messages and emails, 40% of breadwinners think it’s acceptable to answer an urgent work call during family time.” https://teamstage.io/work-life-balance-stats/

“While cloud technologies make it simple for everyone to connect to work, they also make it hard for many to disconnect. Employees often feel pressure to be “always on” and to respond in the moment, both during and outside work hours, whether or not they’re expected to do so.

According to a 2024 Voice of the Workplace Report:

58% of employees agree that they’re always connected or available for work

46% of employees often work outside working hours

https://health.calm.com/resources/blog/technology-is-contributing-to-employee-burnout/#:~:text=Not%20just%20AI:%20Workplace%20technologies,on%20technology%20is%20a%20factor. “

The problem

Life-work balance: how do I balance work with other things that are to me?

Truths about the problem

We can’t have

The struggle over work-life balance is a struggle over . God has not given us unlimited time and energy. The result is that we must learn to the time and energy he’s given us for the best result. We simply can’t , but we can learn with what God allows us to have.

over material things is a good and godly goal

1 Timothy 6:6–8

Philippians 4:11–12

(MULTILINE)

A balanced life requires

Jesus told us that living a Christian life in the right way demands and some .

Luke 14:28–32

Matthew 16:24–26

Biblical Perspectives on Work-Life Balance

The Bible has few examples and almost no warnings about working too much.

One example:

Exodus 18:14, 17-18

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While there aren’t many examples or specific teachings, the reasons some people over work are addressed:

Reason: of not having what is needed.

Matthew 6:33

Reason: .

Proverbs 23:4–5

Luke 12:15

Reason: Misplaced .

Luke 10:40–42

(MULTILINE)

A little thought will produce more reasons why we may overwork or even become workaholics:

The need for approval

A perfectionist personality

Thinking just a little more would make it even better

our self-esteem or equating production with personhood

things we don’t want to do

Trying to meet others’

Feeling we need to wear ourselves out to make the best use of our

with others

(MULTILINE)

To get out of balance we have to from one thing to to another.

(MULTILINE)

How can we get our life in balance?

.

We pray that God will guide us to see what is really going on – in our heart, our will, our habits, our desires, our ego, and on the job.

We ask God to help us be open to whatever changes He knows we should make.

Do a .

What is causing life and work to be out of balance?

How much of this is under our control?

How much of this is because of what we want rather than what we should do?

How much of this is caused by not living by our priorities?

How much of this is the result of not being willing to make a hard decision?

Decide (with God’s help) .

(MULTILINE)

and commit to it.

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Trust that if we’ve prayerfully taken these steps

Remember:

God has a plan for your life.

That plan doesn’t include yourself, your family, or anything else important so that you can work longer.

Deciding to get life and work in balance can call for some difficult, hard decisions, but once you recover balance these decisions will seem like some of the decisions you’ve ever made.