Work is a blessing. Anyone who ever had to look for a job for a long time, or even lost one, knows this from experience. God had given Adam work as an occupation, even before he and his wife fell into sin. However, the fact that work is laborious, that one has to fight—literally or figuratively—against thorns and thistles in the process, is a consequence of sin. How does God want us to do our work? In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher describes three options: two that he advises against—for good reasons—and one he recommends.

First option: aiming to make one’s career out of human ambition. This leads to envy by his neighbor (Eccl. 4:4) and thus impairs relationships among work colleagues. The example of the building of the wall under Nehemiah, as well as Paul’s way of working for the Lord show, to the contrary, that a believer should be a good cooperator. In doing so, he does not seek his own personal advantage, but will be genuinely concerned for the welfare of others, as Timothy was (Phil. 2:20).

Second option: “The fool folds his hands” and loves breaks at work, after-work hours, weekends, and vacations above all else. One who is so lazy misses the mark of God’s plan for his life; he “consumes his own flesh” (Eccl. 4:5). A Christian, even if he was used to another way of living, should “rather … labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need” (Eph. 4:28).

Third option: “A hand full of rest.” This would speak of regular breaks and vacations to rest, meditate, and cultivate relationships—with the Lord, with family, and with good friends. For this you need rest, and in a hectic world like ours, you sometimes need to fight for it. But as mentioned, there is too little rest, too much rest, and then there is a good measure: “a hand full of rest.”