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Christphr
Guest
Do you have or want a job that isn’t too worldly? Please describe what and why.
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Ridgerunner
Guest
Guess I’ll be the contrarian here. I don’t think many jobs are too worldly. I’m self-employed in a service “industry”. I well remember having an “epiphany” some years back in which I realized that people were acknowledging the benefit I was doing them by paying me.
People don’t part with money lightly, and especially not for services. When they’re willing to pay, that tells you that you have done something they perceive that they really need.
That, I think, is true of almost any job. It’s how you look at it. If you work for somebody else and he pays you for it, that tells you that you have done something for him that he needed. To me, that’s not “worldly”.
I won’t go so far as to claim it’s “holy”, but it comes mighty close in my view.
People don’t part with money lightly, and especially not for services. When they’re willing to pay, that tells you that you have done something they perceive that they really need.
That, I think, is true of almost any job. It’s how you look at it. If you work for somebody else and he pays you for it, that tells you that you have done something for him that he needed. To me, that’s not “worldly”.
I won’t go so far as to claim it’s “holy”, but it comes mighty close in my view.
J
joeybaggz
Guest
Ridgerunner’s answer is a very good one. To extend his thought, money is simply an objective value that we as people put on the effort and product of another. Money is the acknowledgment of the expression of one’s God given talents, and in a sense therefore, money is sacred. Used for perverse/sinful purposes, man corrupts his money; money rarely corrupts a man.
I like to think the Christ received monetary payment for his carpentry skills, efforts, and products. He made a fair and honest profit. That in itself shows that payment for a job well done, is an honorable and sacred thing.
My two cents.
I like to think the Christ received monetary payment for his carpentry skills, efforts, and products. He made a fair and honest profit. That in itself shows that payment for a job well done, is an honorable and sacred thing.
My two cents.
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midori
Guest
I’m a Mom. That’s kind of the opposite of worldly, because I surely couldn’t be paid enough to be perpetually on-call… 
I’m a landlady. I take sad, broken houses; fix them up; and rent them out. My tenants have nice, solid housing to live in, and my kids have a college fund, and I have a safety net, because I’m not holding my breath for social security to be around by the time I need it.
I’m a teacher. I help kids grow and learn stuff, and someday, perhaps something I said will actually make them think.
I’m a librarian. People come to me for information. I find them answers to their questions.
I’m a secretary. I make my boss look good.
I’m a museum curator. I preserve history and share it with others.
I’m a waitress. That’s the very definition of a modern-day servant!
The most I ever got paid was as a secretary. The least I ever got paid was as a waitress. But ultimately, you sell your skill and your time. Various skills may be worth more or less on the marketplace, and there may be greater or lesser pools of competition who are equally capable of offering that service at the same or lower price, which is why rocket scientists don’t get paid the same as the guy who mows your lawn.
Most of my careers have dealt with information-- raising kids, teaching students, working at the library, working at the museum, working in the office. I don’t really think of any of them as being particularly “worldly”, although they’re generally pretty secular.
I’m a landlady. I take sad, broken houses; fix them up; and rent them out. My tenants have nice, solid housing to live in, and my kids have a college fund, and I have a safety net, because I’m not holding my breath for social security to be around by the time I need it.
I’m a teacher. I help kids grow and learn stuff, and someday, perhaps something I said will actually make them think.
I’m a librarian. People come to me for information. I find them answers to their questions.
I’m a secretary. I make my boss look good.
I’m a museum curator. I preserve history and share it with others.
I’m a waitress. That’s the very definition of a modern-day servant!
The most I ever got paid was as a secretary. The least I ever got paid was as a waitress. But ultimately, you sell your skill and your time. Various skills may be worth more or less on the marketplace, and there may be greater or lesser pools of competition who are equally capable of offering that service at the same or lower price, which is why rocket scientists don’t get paid the same as the guy who mows your lawn.
Most of my careers have dealt with information-- raising kids, teaching students, working at the library, working at the museum, working in the office. I don’t really think of any of them as being particularly “worldly”, although they’re generally pretty secular.
S
Socrates92
Guest
Money as used in a transaction is an expression of subjective value. It is the medium, not the good itself, assuming a normal, healthy attitude towards it. A better way of phrasing the question, I think, would be to ask: is the service, or good of value that is provided for exchange for money a more, or less, “worldly” good? Similarly, money is the expression of value subjectively placed on a good/service. How much are those subjective values in line with “worldliness”? A society’s values will ultimately drive the economy and determine which goods/services are priced which way. How do I/you go about contributing to/challenging that particular set of societal values?
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