A New Story
Welcome!
Work was part of God’s original design. It is not part of the Fall. God designed us to work, to subdue the Earth and have dominion over it, to farm, to build, and to cultivate (Genesis 1:28, ESV):
And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Unfortunately, that perfect, fulfilling, deeply satisfying relationship with work only lasted for two chapters before everything fell apart and mankind decided to take things into their own hands (Genesis 3:17-19, ESV):
And to Adam he said cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.
How often has this been your experience with work? Even in the most fulfilling of careers, it is unavoidable. We toil and strain for the money we earn. It always comes with sacrifice.
The following game involves 6 short scenarios. Each presents an opportunity for additional income. Consider each scenario and decide whether you would take the opportunity or skip it.
In order for the scenarios to make sense, they need to be scaled to your current income. In the box below, enter your rough current annual household income. When you are ready, click begin.
BANK
FOR GIVING
January 3
UTILITY BILL
-$250
January 7
TRANSPORTATION
-$750
January 3
Work a Side Gig
For an extra 15 hours per week, you could make an extra $20,000 per year.
Selections
1
2
3
4
5
6
Let’s try again
Mixing it up
Going forward, you plan to continue to live on an income of $80,000, even if God provides much more for you to steward.
Any additional margin provded is free to use as God leads you: helping friends and neighbors, building up your community, and supporting those carrying the gospel abroad.
Let’s take another look at those same scenarios again. If you were planning to give away the additional income, how many of these opportunities would you take now?
Reflection
Let’s Recap
Take a minute or two and reflect on how your decisions changed (if they did at all). In a minute, we’ll discuss as a group.
Allow 1-2 minutes of silent reflection.
SCENARIO | BEFORE | AFTER |
Scenario 1: Side Gig 15 hrs/wk for $20,000/yr | TAKE | SKIP |
Scenario 2: Holiday $1200 on Christmas | TAKE | SKIP |
Scenario 3: Travel $1,000/wk for 6 wk travel | TAKE | SKIP |
Scenario 4: Move $95,000/yr to move jobs | TAKE | SKIP |
Scenario 5: Graduation $10,000 to skip trip | TAKE | SKIP |
Scenario 6: Graduation $100,000 to miss event | TAKE | SKIP |
Reflection
Time to Discuss
Let’s take some time to share.
Afterwards, discuss the following:
Discuss as a group. Would defining “enough” and choosing a finish line change any real life career decisions or opportunities that you might have right now?