Americans Celebrate 10 Millionth 'Bring Yourself To Work Day'

Bring Yourself To Work Day is a special workplace event observed five times weekly, and sometimes more, in every factory, office, warehouse, restaurant, and retailer of goods or services worldwide. The event has been used for generations in the U.S. and other industrialized nations as a way to instill in the workforce a sense of responsibility through repeated exposure to a largely unfulfilling work environment. It also introduces otherwise inactive adults to the benefits of steady employment and the importance of punctuality.

…That the 10 millionth celebration occurred on a Monday, the traditional start of the work week, was not lost on many American workers during their morning commute.

“Ten millionth, huh?” said San Diego systems analyst Alex Bass, 34, who commutes an average of three hours a day. “Sounds about right.”

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Americans Celebrate 10 Millionth 'Bring Yourself To Work Day'

Bring Yourself To Work Day is a special workplace event observed five times weekly, and sometimes more, in every factory, office, warehouse, restaurant, and retailer of goods or services worldwide. The event has been used for generations in the U.S. and other industrialized nations as a way to instill in the workforce a sense of responsibility through repeated exposure to a largely unfulfilling work environment. It also introduces otherwise inactive adults to the benefits of steady employment and the importance of punctuality.

…That the 10 millionth celebration occurred on a Monday, the traditional start of the work week, was not lost on many American workers during their morning commute.

“Ten millionth, huh?” said San Diego systems analyst Alex Bass, 34, who commutes an average of three hours a day. “Sounds about right.”

I remember one day asking myself: I see where they got this (from Jesus) but then why just clergy and missionaries, why not all of us? Aren't we all followers of Jesus' teachings and example?

Then Mother Teresa is also known for some holy antics. Like when she left the Nobel Peace Prize in the coat closet of the award ceremony auditorium. Or like when a rich man came to offer her money, but she refused him, inviting him instead to spend time with them back in India. All that to say, I don't think either of them “pandered” to the deep pockets of their day in order to get by. They also seemed to recognize the potentially compromising influence of money (respect too) to the fidelity of their work.

The story you wrote (Holy Fool) intersects with this as well. Good stuff.

George Müller of Bristol, England, who died in 1898. Here's a passage about him from The Varieties of Religious Experience (by William James):

…Early in life he resolved on taking certain Bible promises in literal sincerity, and on letting himself be fed, not by his own worldly foresight, but by the Lord's hand. He had an extraordinarily active and successful career, among the fruits of which were the distribution of over two million copies of the Scripture text, in different languages; the equipment of several hundred missionaries; the circulation of more than a hundred and eleven million of scriptural books, pamphlets, and tracts; the building of five large orphanages, and the keeping and educating of thousands of orphans; finally, the establishment of schools in which over a hundred and twenty-one thousand youthful and adult pupils were taught. In the course of this work Mr. Muller received and administered nearly a million and a half of pounds sterling, and traveled over two hundred thousand miles of sea and land. During the sixty-eight years of his ministry, he never owned any property except his clothes and furniture, and cash in hand; and he left, at the age of eighty-six, an estate worth only a hundred and sixty pounds.His method was to let his general wants be publicly known, but not to acquaint other people with the details of his temporary necessities. For the relief of the latter, he prayed directly to the Lord, believing that sooner or later prayers are always answered if one have trust enough.

The articles needed… were the food, fuel, etc., of his orphanages. Somehow, near as they often come to going without a meal, they hardly ever seem actually to have done so. “Greater and more manifest nearness of the Lord's presence I have never had than when after breakfast there were no means for dinner for more than a hundred persons; or when after dinner there were no means for the tea, and yet the Lord provided the tea; and all this without one single human being having been informed about our need…. Through Grace my mind is so fully assured of the faithfulness of the Lord, that in the midst of the greatest need, I am enabled in peace to go about my other work. Indeed, did not the Lord give me this, which is the result of trusting in him, I should scarcely be able to work at all; for it is now comparatively a rare thing that a day comes when I am not in need for one or another part of the work.'”

In building his orphanages simply by prayer and faith, Muller affirms that his prime motive was “to have something to point to as a visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful God that he ever was—as willing as ever to prove himself the living God, in our day as formerly, to all that put their trust in him.” For this reason he refused to borrow money for any of his enterprises. “How does it work when we thus anticipate God by going our own way? We certainly weaken faith instead of increasing it; and each time we work thus a deliverance of our own we find it more and more difficult to trust in God, till at last we give way entirely to our natural fallen reason and unbelief prevails. How different if one is enabled to wait God's own time, and to look alone to him for help and deliverance! When at last help comes, after many seasons of prayer it may be, how sweet it is, and what a present recompense! Dear Christian reader, if you have never walked in this path of obedience before, do so now, and you will then know experimentally the sweetness of the joy which results from it.”

Further research on Muller revealed: He would not accept a salary for his ministry. He refused to borrow money, and paid in full for every purchase. He believed that “to lay up stores or hoard money was inconsistent with a life of faith.” And while the general needs of his ministry were known, as a rule neither he nor his co-workers asked people for money. Yet for years God fed, sheltered, and clothed him and his family… plus teachers, and missionaries, and thousands of orphans! He writes: “In all my experience I have found… that if I could only settle a certain thing to be done was according to the will of God, that means were soon obtained to carry it into effect.”

Maybe that's enough for one comment. I was also thinking of the farmer here who became a full-time peace worker (with CPT). He began by following a passion, like Muller followed a need he saw, and God supported them in their work.

My own experience in voluntary poverty and “giving without payment” started with pilgrimages all over this country, then caring for a disabled man in an intentional community, then work at a Catholic Worker house (shelter and soup kitchen), and now offering spiritual retreats for the poor. I can give more specifics if anyone's interested.

Selling is something completely different. Now we put ourselves in the place of demanding money before we will provide the goods or service that others need. We are asking for a contract or agreement to ensure that we will receive as much (or more) in return for anything we give. These things demonstrate an attitude that seems to me goes directly against Jesus' teaching and example.

Also, Jesus' directions to his disciples to accept the food and shelter given to them is quite different from “receiving pay” for their service (which Jesus told them to give “without payment”). In their visits in towns, they taught and healed very many people (for free) and only received hospitality from one family (according to Jesus' directions). This is not reciprocation or a trade for services rendered. They gave to many people, and some people gave to them, the gifts all determined by the needs of each, not an equal trade or individual deal.

I'll just add that I never characterized any of this as defining sin, or describing any economic system (as I clearly stated previously). This is Jesus setting an example and telling us what perfect love looks like in our interactions with others, many of which are “economic” interactions. He did that all the time, referring to all areas of our lives.

(Oh, and if you wish to discuss Paul's take on this, there's some comments about that after Part 2: click here)

I'll let others decide from their job experience whether they agree that freedom in work is just a matter of “attitude.” My own experience is that whether you are paid or not, an employee or a volunteer, makes a huge difference, both in the freedom of the work itself (divided concerned about profitability vs. single-minded concern for quality) and the freedom of the relationships (boss-employee, employee-client vs. gift giver-receiver). And Jesus told his disciples, not just to change their attitude, but actually change their way of interacting with people: “Freely you have received, freely give” (or, as some translations have it, “You received without payment, give without payment” Mt 10.8).