Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman~5: Chapter 3, Your Attitude Toward Work

Mar12

First off, let me say that Ortlund’s work ethic would do the Puritan’s proud and the sheer amount of work she did in a day makes me tired just thinking about it. Case in point: In the six months following her hysterectomy, she spoke at 9 conferences, taught classes, wrote hymns, wrote parts of this book, counseled people…in addition to housework, mom-work, travel and spending time with her spouse.

As I write this, I’m sitting between two mountains of unfolded laundry, my to-be-ironed and mended pile reaches ever higher, and my email in-box…well, you know. I think I spoke to my husband about something not kid or work related today. Maybe. I’m looking forward to the chapters on scheduling and organizing, because clearly she knows something I don’t–I have color-coded to-do lists, and I still don’t get all the work done.

Work itself isn’t the focus of the chapter, but rather attitudes toward it. Ortlund starts off with biblical references to work and the high value placed on it. She writes, “The point is to see that work is God’s plan for you” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 39). Given this, work should not exhaust someone emotionally or spiritually (physical fatigue is okay), and if it does…check the three priorities from the previous chapter. If those are in order, then consider: “You may be in the wrong job” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 39).

It’s a simple enough statement, but it strikes me as profoundly wise. It’s a recognition, which she makes clear, that circumstances change. People grow. What once was a good fit, may no longer be.

And here, gentle reader, is an unexpected gem: “The source of your money is never your job” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 40). She connects this to the idea that God will provide, but also with faith and doing God’s will without reference to supply (time, energy, money, etc.). Okay. Sure. But what if God doesn’t? I know many people, devout and hard-working, who are struggling with supply.

I’ve already mentioned the housework I can’t manage to complete no matter how late I stay up–my husband and I have our best conversations while folding laundry at midnight–or early I rise. When she felt overwhelmed, someone offered to hire and pay for a maid for her. When that doesn’t happen for me, does that mean her faith is stronger than mine? This almost transactional element is disquieting to me, in much the same way the prosperity gospel is.

It also seems far-removed from the lives of most women in 2019. What I’d give for a cleaning help once or twice a month, never mind a maid who comes four days a week. This reminds me of my second reaction to the ‘you’re in the wrong job’ statement. Let’s say you are in the wrong job, it exhausts you on all levels, but how may of us have the luxury of walking away from a job?

And speaking of exhaustion, here’s my biggest problem with this chapter. Ortlund writes: “Never do we see in the Bible the notion of ‘Now, be careful; don’t overdo; take it easy'” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 37). Really? I seem to recall a rather specific statement or two about taking a break from work. The concept even has a name: Sabbath.