Symptom that work becomes god: “Work is my life.”

• Rest days become work days.
• There is no time to go to church, and daily prayer is neglected.
• The house becomes an extension of the office.
• Parents “live” in their offices and no longer have adequate time to bond with and see their family.
• Children develop deep resentment due to the frequent absences of their parents, which affects their behavior negatively.
• Stress at work is manifested in the manner of speech at home.

• Profit, prestige, and pride in business become his or her life’s main motivators and the only source of self- worth and happiness.

  Many workaholics worship their work even to the point of taking their lives when they fail. It’s the only thing that matters to them, not even their families. Here’s a story from Bloomberg that depicts this extreme situation:

  I try to tell them the children want their father, not the money.” Unfortunately, the message often doesn’t get through. Japan is suffering what amounts to a suicide epidemic. Hardly a week passes without news of an executive jumping in front of a train or hanging himself in a hotel room. Top executives are ending their lives, too… Perhaps the fastest way to stem the suicide wave is to get the economy growing again. ere is a strong correlation between economic conditions and feelings of worthlessness. Suicides spiked in 1998, when the economy went into a tailspin after several big banks and brokerages failed. A return to growth might give Japan’s desperate workers hope for the future — and a reason to live. (Brian Bremner, Bloomberg, Business Suicides: Japan’s Death Trap, 2002)

   

  What is your reason for living? What is your reason for working? St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive!” Jesus also said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” ( John 10:10).

  Yes it is God’s will that we live our lives passionately, abundantly, and fully. But beware when work becomes your god.

  *This excerpt is taken from The Fired Up Life by Kirby S. Llaban.

  Featured photo from Unsplashed.com.

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