When Solomon surveyed the horizon of human endeavor, he was discouraged to find that envy fueled the engine of hard work and skill development. “Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Eccl 4:4). In a fallen world where sin pervades every aspect of our existence, it’s not unusual to find that people are often motivated primarily by self-interest as they engage in their work. People see what our neighbor has, determine they want it, and aim their ambition at acquiring those same goods. Those goods may be financial or they may reputational. They are often both.
For the Christian, laboring from envious motives is sinful and never acceptable (Phil 2:3). God calls us to work for his glory (1 Cor 10:31; Col 3:23), in order to provide for ourselves (1 Thess 4:11-12), our families (1 Tim 5:8), and for those in need (Eph 4:28), all the while trusting in his provision (Prov 3:5-6) and thanking him for what we do have (Col 3:17), not complaining about what we lack (Phil 2:14).
For the Christian, laboring from envious motives is sinful and never acceptable (Phil 2:3).
Nevertheless, many of us will still find ourselves in work environments where competition between employees is the unspoken (or spoken) motivation for hard work and corporate advancement. Yet, an environment rife with explicit and implicit competition may often cause a good deal of spiritual angst for the believer. Rather than competing for certain positions or honors, the Christian desires to work quietly and excellently, not for the sake of advancement, but for God’s glory, the benefit of others (the company itself, fellow employees, consumers), and the sheer joy of exercising dominion. Competition with one’s neighbor for position and recognition seems to grate against our souls and against Scripture.
But is there a way for me as a Christian to navigate such challenging work environments that is spiritually beneficial for myself while also serving to bless my fellow employees? I believe there is. Let me offer three encouragements.
Gladly Recognize the Skill in Others
It is a simple fact that God has endowed humanity with a wide range of natural gifts, talents, and skills (see Gen 1-2; 4:20-22). And it will always be the case that we are surrounded by people with different skills, or people who may be better in an area where we also excel. But this shouldn’t be a cause of anger or envy. In his infinite wisdom, God has given every person their talents and all the various means by which to hone their talents. The mosaic of gifts among God’s image bearers—including the people at your job—is a display of God’s glory and the way by which he provides for his human creatures. We should be ready to gladly recognize the skill God has placed in others.
Admire the Skill in Others
But it’s not enough to recognize that God has given humanity many gifts by which to serve each other. We bring the axe to the root of envy by admiring our neighbor’s gifts. When we admire our neighbor’s skills and talents, we actually relieve ourselves of the burden of envy while preparing our hearts and minds to learn from their God-given skills. It’s a universal axiom that we become like those we admire, and while we may not always admire our neighbor’s character or religious opinions, we can admire the talents they demonstrate in their work, and this admiration will lead to some measure of emulation and growth in our own abilities. As our skills are honed, recognition will come naturally (Prov 22:29), not as a result of climbing over our fellow employees.
Thank God for Your Neighbor’s Skills
Like everything in the Christian life, we are to be ready with a word of thankfulness to our God (Col 3:17; 1 Thess 5:18), and we do our souls much good when we remember that our neighbor’s skills are meant to benefit us as well. If my colleague is especially good at some aspect of his work, this will eventually turn out to bless me because it will relieve me of the notion that I need to fulfill every potential request or obligation. It’s good for my neighbor to be better than me at some things, for this means that I do not have to wear myself out meeting every need or expectation.
It’s good for my neighbor to be better than me at some things, for this means that I do not have to wear myself out meeting every need or expectation.
This is one reason why it is crucial for us to determine as best we can how God has actually gifted us. What skills do I actually possess? Where can I make a contribution? What should I leave for others to accomplish? What am I good at? What am I not good at? God did not deposit all skills and talents into one person or group of people. Instead, God distributed a variety of gifts throughout the entire human race, and we can thank him for other people’s gifts that alleviates the anxiety that inevitably attends our work if we think we have to do it all. Thank God for your neighbor’s skills.
Allow the Admiration of your Neighbor’s Excellence to Spur you on to Greater Excellence
Rather than compete with our neighbor out of envy, we should allow their excellence to motivate us to grow all the more. We don’t pursue growth in our skills in order to exalt ourselves over our neighbor, however. Rather, we develop our skills because we know that the better we get, the more our employer, fellow employees, and consumers will benefit from our work. The aim of excellence is better service to others, not to exalt ourselves over our fellow employees.
Conclusion
Work is hard. Ever since the fall, what was once always pleasant, now often bears thorns and thistles (Gen 3:19). Work is still inherently good, but sin has made our own work difficult, and it has made the places in which we work challenging to navigate. Often, our troubles are a result of an environment where competition is the unspoken rule of engagement. When we meet these difficulties, however, God would have us thank him for our neighbor’s gifts, admire them, learn from them, and use them to become even better servants.
