What is a good job from a Christian perspective? And where to look for it?

Which professions to choose

— Today, many, especially people who have recently found themselves in the Church, are asking the question: “how can I, a person with a Christian worldview, find a job so that life does not turn into hell?”

“We are used to scolding neophytes for going overboard. This is true, sometimes they go to extremes, but often they do the very right things. For example, they understand that the work may not be Christian in essence.

The fact is that people easily and quickly get used to the environment in which they find themselves, and do not think about the fact that this environment can be harmful. Once I was traveling with a priest I knew on a train. He read a popular brochure about sins, which, in particular, said that it was a sin to work as a hairdresser. He, and I, thought it was funny. It is clear that a hairdresser is not a sinful profession. However, I thought: if the author of the brochure thinks so, then he must have reasons for it. Well, for example, a hairdresser does fashionable hairstyles that this priest does not approve of.

After all, the Apostle Peter writes: Let not your outward adornment be the braiding of your hair, or the ornaments of gold, or the finery of your clothing, but the hidden person of the heart, in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God (1 Pet 3:3-4). . It is possible that the priest took the apostolic words literally and considered the work of a hairdresser a sin. But while discussing this with my colleague, I remembered another story.

At a time when, as the apostles preached, people of various professions became Christians. Many of these professions turned out to be unworthy of a Christian. For example, a sculptor, because in ancient times this was primarily the one who made statues of idols. Tertullian said: “You yourself worship idols if you allow them to be worshiped!” By becoming a Christian, a person renounced a sinful profession, and the community was ready to support him until he acquired a new one.

—Is there a list of professions today that are unworthy of a Christian?

- There is no such list. But there is a concept of sin. And if this concept is applicable to a particular profession, a person should try to avoid this type of activity. Separately, it is also worth mentioning the distortions of quite good professions. For example, a Christian cannot work as a croupier in a casino, because the work will clearly contribute to sin, while (an example from a series of distortions) there is a gynecologist who can perform abortions or refuse. There is also a Declaration of the World Medical Association, adopted in 1983, which protects gynecologists and which states that, based on personal convictions, a doctor has the right not to perform an abortion*. In other words, to kill or not to kill is a matter of the moral choice of the gynecologist, and not the quality of the profession.

You need to understand that it is often the person himself who turns his life into hell. Although, of course, in the case of croupiers, strippers, etc., these are professions that are clearly associated with sin.

“But these professions are not taught in institutes and universities.

— No, of course, but you can earn money in these professions. The question is different. Why did ancient Christians think it was impossible for a Christian to be a sculptor? For the same reason that the ancient Jews who came out of Egypt were given commandments prohibiting making images. They needed harsh conditions, because they had a weak immunity to everything pagan.

In the ancient Christian era, people were surrounded by idols everywhere, so it was important for the beginner not to make any statues or sculptures at all. Today it is clear that sculptor is not a sinful profession; no one puts pagan content into this activity. But if, say, a person makes amulets and sells them as bringing happiness and good fortune... it seems to me that these are modern idols that a Christian should not make.

— A talented nuclear physicist is developing an atomic bomb. Is his profession sinful?

— You can even sharpen the question and recall the small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. To pose the question this way: is it a sin to work in the production of machine guns and tanks? I think this is not the same as working in the production of axes, although axes can be weapons, but initially they have a different field of application - peaceful. Weapons, in principle, cannot have a peaceful sphere of use. In a sense, there are far fewer questions for the nuclear physicist who invented the atomic bomb than for those involved in the production of the Kalashnikov.

The atomic bomb is a weapon of intimidation and is unlikely to be used. It can stop or prevent war. But with a reliable and easy-to-use AK-47, everything is more complicated. The Libyan rebels, the Afghan Taliban, and militants from many countries have these machine guns. This means that again everything depends on the motivation and moral choice of a person. Does he produce weapons to make money or to contribute to peace and security of the homeland? It is obvious that if we produce weapons, it will not be to start and fight wars, but to stop and end them.

What income should you target?

— The question “how to find a good job” is addressed largely to a psychologist. However, many turn to the priest with him. Why?

— Often, when asking how to find a good job, people are looking for an answer to another question: “What is God’s will for me, where should I work?” But those who ask this (often neophytes) do not quite correctly understand the expression “God’s will for us.” They think that God has a precise will for what we should be. For example, working as a lawyer, not a doctor. And, they say, if I am a doctor, then I will act against my will, and if I am a lawyer, then according to my will. God, of course, knows who we will be, but we must decide. People do not understand that in fact God’s will for us is one thing - that we be saved. Where we do this is another question. You can save yourself by being a lawyer, a layout designer, a saleswoman, a teacher, or a janitor.

Photo by Ivan Shagin

Alas, the problem is that people are looking for the will of God in the wrong places. They seek to be given strict instructions, to be decided for them, so that ultimately they do not feel responsible. Once the relatives of a seriously ill woman came to me with a question. The question concerned her life and death. If her leg is amputated, she will live, but if not, she will die after a while. And they asked me - what should she do? That is, neither she herself nor her loved ones understood that this could only be her own decision. And I simply do not have the right to decide for her what she should do. We all really tend to share our responsibility for serious decisions, and sometimes we simply dump it on a priest or some spiritually experienced person.

“But people ask such questions because they understand that even in an objectively good profession there are nuances and ethical difficulties. Maybe you will waste your talent if you think about ethics and give up good money?

— Whether we like it or not, the world greatly influences the Church and the consciousness of believers. This expression has stuck in my teeth, but today we live in an era of consumption. Just half a century ago, people could wear the same pair of shoes for decades. Today the cult of “newness” is thriving, and, of course, Christians (they don’t live on another planet) are infected with this. From the history of the Church we know that the pagans laughed at Christians because the latter never sought big earnings, but learned to be content with what they could live on, that is, with little.

Max Weber in his work “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” has a plot describing the first steps to take root the principles of capitalism in Europe. For example, entrepreneurs increased wages in exchange for more employment. But people worked less, saying: “Before you paid me five coins, now I get eight for the same. Why work more if five coins are enough for me?!” Until this principle of “I have enough” was defeated in people, until the desire for profit was cultivated, capitalism could not strengthen its position.

Today, many of us are trying to earn as much as possible. But this is precisely not a completely Christian approach, because a Christian should strive for moderation. Today anything is justified by good goals. For example, is it bad to give better education to children? I can pay for a cheap school, but if I earn more, I’ll pay for a good one. I am eager for big money, but at least I will start helping the poor. Alas, the person does not see the substitution he is making. He is looking for a beautiful way out of a situation that is destroying his soul. Remember Judas, who justified greed by love for the poor. Do you know how St. Gregory the Theologian answers the question “who can practice theology?” He says: “He who is free from external filth and rebellion.”

Praying in the bustle is difficult. Acting morally when you are faced with the choice of “a Christian act or money” is very difficult. And if a person sets himself the goal of earning as much as possible, then, as if on an inclined plane, everything else collapses: the spiritual world, the moral world. “Well, here I’ll act a little dishonestly,” he says, “but then I’ll also be able to help the poor!” But the further it goes, the worse it gets.

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210 comments.

1. stationmaster
2. February 08, 2009
3. 23:47

Wonderful soprano and alto! We are ready to work from August! in MOSCOW! Just graduated from the Saratov State Conservatory! Department of conducting an academic choir! I have experience working in a church choir! From the sheet at a time!!! The soprano has 5 years of experience as a choir artist in a professional choir. Call me!

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In order to be able to go to church not just once a week, but every day, eat fast, talk with fellow believers “about spiritual things,” some newly converted Orthodox Christians are even ready to leave a well-paid job and become a church choirboy, reader, watchman, cleaner... But will the work bring does the temple benefit the soul? After all, the church has its own “temptations.”

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in one of his books talked about a peasant who loved to come to the temple and spend long hours in it. When asked what he was doing all this time, the peasant answered: I look at God, God looks at me, and we both feel good. For people raised in the faith from childhood, being in church - for a church service or simply for prayer - is an organic part of life, but, perhaps, only beginners experience delight from this, bordering on the gospel “it’s good for us to be here.”

More than ten years have passed since I joined the church, but I still remember how I didn’t want to leave the church after the service, how I was drawn to go there every time I was nearby. I remember envy - in a good sense, if, of course, envy can be in a good sense - towards all the “workers”: choristers, candle makers, prosphora makers, even the church watchman. They don’t need to leave, they “belong” in this wonderful world, smelling of wax and incense, in its very core. Surely every neophyte, even if only in theory, had this thought: I want it too. I want to work for God - and for this particular temple as well.

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Meanings

Tatyana Ivashkova

10.03.2012

Meanings

In order to be able to go to church not just once a week, but every day, eat fast, talk with fellow believers “about spiritual things,” some newly converted Orthodox Christians are even ready to leave a well-paid job and become a church choirboy, reader, watchman, cleaner... But will the work bring does the temple benefit the soul? After all, the church has its own “temptations.”

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in one of his books talked about a peasant who loved to come to the temple and spend long hours in it. When asked what he was doing all this time, the peasant answered: I look at God, God looks at me, and we both feel good. For people raised in the faith from childhood, being in church - for a church service or simply for prayer - is an organic part of life, but, perhaps, only beginners experience delight from this, bordering on the gospel “it’s good for us to be here.”

More than ten years have passed since I joined the church, but I still remember how I didn’t want to leave the church after the service, how I was drawn to go there every time I was nearby. I remember envy - in a good sense, if, of course, envy can be in a good sense - towards all the “workers”: choristers, candle makers, prosphora makers, even the church watchman. They don’t need to leave, they “belong” in this wonderful world, smelling of wax and incense, in its very core. Surely every neophyte, even if only in theory, had this thought: I want it too. I want to work for God - and for this particular temple as well.

By the way, church employees try not to call their work work. “We work for the Lord” - as if emphasizing that secular work is exclusively for the benefit of one’s pocket. It’s clear that a church salary (if there is one, of course) is just a modest material addition to spiritual joy, but the approach is still strange. Almost all work is done for other people, and everything we do for others conscientiously and with love, we do for the Lord. So I still dare to call church work work. “Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in him with trembling” - these words of the psalm are not only about spiritual work, but also about the simplest physical work.

As they say, be careful what you wish for - you may get it. I taught Sunday school for two years and sang in the choir for seven years, so I know parish life from the inside. And I can safely say: work in the temple, with the exception of some nuances, is practically no different from any other work. Moreover, if we take into account the spiritual specificity of this work, there is something in it that makes it not very useful for immature and weak souls. And this is not just my opinion. It is a well-known fact that Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) was not very willing to bless his worldly spiritual children for parish service.

How does a person who has just touched it imagine the “inside” of the church world? Approximately like a certain branch of the Kingdom of God on earth. And this is not entirely an illusion; rather, the point is in the so-called invoking grace, familiar to every beginner. During this amazing time, without any effort, we notice all the good things and do not see the negative point-blank - the soul simply pushes it away from itself. And there would be no way to extend this period - but we so want to go deeper into the church environment, and we don’t even bother to think that being closer to the temple does not necessarily mean being closer to God

I hope it was useful, Sergey Mauser.

What kind of work will help self-development?

— I know a talented economist who earns a lot of money. But not because he is chasing them, but because he is educated and has abilities that are highly paid. Of course, this leaves an imprint on his life; his children study in an elite school.

- It cannot be said that such a person is immoral. But any of us is capable of living more modestly. And for a Christian it would be better. Was it only in our time that there were rich people? In the 19th century, merchant Vasily Gryaznov lived in Pavlovsky Posad. He was a real ascetic, he fasted and prayed a lot, he had the gift of clairvoyance, many people were consoled by his miracles. After his death, he was glorified among the holy righteous.

Photo by Ivan Shagin

Therefore, it is not about how much a person earns, but about how much this income takes over his life. Does he earn money, or does earnings drive him, and he cannot stop in his thirst for enrichment? There are many families around in which the desire to earn money leads to children being left without parental attention, elderly parents not seeing their working children for months... These are clearly misplaced priorities.

— There is always the opposite situation, when a person, under the pretext “that’s enough,” stands still. And not only does it not develop, but it often falls into condemnation of “these rich people” and envy.

- The Apostle Paul says: If anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Let us remember again the ancient Christians. For example, the author of the Didache advises Christians to take care of those who do not have a craft, but so that they do not live in idleness. And he directly calls those who did not want to work “Christ sellers” and calls on Christians to beware of such. Those who could work had to work according to their profession, fortunately they were simple: plowman, carpenter, fisherman. The point here is not that you can do nothing, you need to do it. The point is that the state of poverty can be both a tense state and a relaxed state. A poor person who can earn more but tries to live modestly is one case. A person who lives poorly because of his laziness, refuses to develop and condemns others is a different case.

In general, the concept of “developing” is also an idea of ​​today. The Monk Seraphim of Sarov did not earn much money, and the Apostle Paul was engaged in a rather primitive business - weaving tents. The idea that we should all develop in our profession, career growth, is the twin idea of ​​profit. Many people forget that growth can be different, spiritual.

What is the archaeological concept of a cultural layer? In fact, this is garbage that was left over from previous generations. In this sense, much less remains of St. Seraphim of Sarov, of the house in which he lived, than of the palace. But to say that he is worse, lower, less developed than the man who invented the car or the rocket is hard to come by. The question is, what kind of development and growth are we talking about? For a Christian, the main thing is his spiritual growth.

—What is spiritual growth?

- This is the desire for holiness. This is a moral life according to the Gospel. If the fact that you earn a lot of money allows you to love your neighbors, if your money allows you to do good, then this is a manifestation of spiritual growth. Just remember JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter novel, who regularly donates colossal sums to charity and supports dozens of charitable organizations. Here you go, a man realizes his billions in a Christian way. Or you can, for example, buy a football club or two, and then watch your clubs play among themselves. You can realize yourself in different ways.

In fact, a rich man is in some ways very similar to a saint. We are accustomed to thinking that holiness is associated with poverty. Outwardly this is, of course, so, but in terms of spiritual disposition, the rich and the saint are closer to each other. We know that man was created for wealth, but spiritual wealth, not material wealth. Both spiritual and material wealth are achieved with great difficulty, but the rich man misses, he aims in the wrong direction. He feels this inner thirst, the human thirst for completeness, but he tries to fill it with the wrong content. The poor man, if it is not the intense “holy poverty” of renunciation of everything, is much less like a saint, because, in my experience, his position often stems from ordinary laziness.

Is it good for a Christian to work hard?

Andrey Rogozyansky is looking for a way out of the vicious circle

At first glance, yes.
In Paradise, Adam and Eve work, although this is special work, not associated with negative experiences. “And the Lord God took the man whom he had created, and put him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). After the Fall, work becomes something like an educational tool: work hard and, as they say, feel the difference... Now nothing is given to a person for free. Everything that provides the body with nutrition, warmth and comfort is obtained through intense effort. Over time, a culture of work, a poetics of work, emerges. From a curse and a heavy burden, labor takes on the meaning of a positive value, because a person owes his survival to it.

They point to the psychological and ethical value of work - “work ennobles.” In conditions where a person has no need to work, he is soon overwhelmed by apathy and laziness. An example of an ethical paradox is “hard work.” It’s not just good to work, it’s good and right to love work. Here it is, the image of man as a moral being who finds satisfaction in the very drama of life, in self-overcoming.

In Stoic philosophy and Christian ascetic practices, work is a spiritual means. Together with prayer, it cleanses the soul and elevates it to the truth, to God. “Love work,” taught St. Anthony the Great, “it, combined with fasting, prayer and vigil, will free you from all defilements. Bodily labor brings purity to the heart; purity of heart is the reason why the soul bears fruit.”

We find a completely different image in modern times: work as a way for a person to prove self-sufficiency. Corruption penetrates into the concept of work, labor pathos develops into the pathos of asserting one’s “I”, subjugating the forces of nature. In the Protestant morality of prosperity, people work in the interests of the bourgeoisie, Marxist theory puts enormous human effort into the construction of an ideological colossus. Is it good for a Christian to work a lot under these conditions? The results of the work are alienated and fall into a piggy bank that is not at all pleasing to God. The prototype of this has already been in history: the construction of the Tower of Babel.

Is it right to work a lot today, at a time when we are no longer inventing the perpetuum mobile and are not building Korchagin’s bright tomorrow? Work is the new “our everything”, the principle of the simplest and most convenient organization in time and space. Convenient, but for whom and why?

Every day, for a long time, my grandmother walked with her granddaughter in my yard. The baby was still very small. Mom, a young lady I knew, rarely appeared. “It works, the load is heavy,” the granny explained and sighed, as if sympathetically. This was followed by complaints about the high cost of living, stories about the accountant’s good place in the company and the daughter’s abilities, because of which her superiors value her.

Over time, while the baby got to her feet and learned to pronounce phrases, plastic sparkled in the windows of the apartment, and the movers took out the kitchen set and household appliances from the furniture van and lifted them upstairs. Grandma has changed. On walks, she looked like an expert, spoke decorously and in her nose, as if involuntarily condescending to her colleagues in the walking workshop.

“I can’t see you,” I once said to an accountant running past, “your lovely daughter is growing up.”

“Yes,” she answered, “there’s a lot of work, I sit in the evenings.”

-What are you doing? Are you building communism? – I teased.

“No,” she laughed, without getting into the irony, “Now it’s the annual report, and before that the tax office.” In general, my head is spinning...

This scene never escapes my memory when I hear about the problems of work and income.
Including from the mouths of Orthodox people. My mother probably ruined her life by refusing to get promoted and remaining in the modest position of a kindergarten teacher with 90 rubles. But for half a day... The last thing - the opportunity to spend time at home - was a very weighty argument. Just think, these days it can be terrifying: half the time in the house! Communication with children, homework, household chores, cleaning, cooking, dishes... The main advantage of work is that you don’t have to think about anything else. I'm at work and - that's it! I do what everyone else does.

Why do you think it’s so difficult for us to have children? Where then all the problems with school come from? Why, even in frosty January, do old skis remain pushed deep into the mezzanine? And why does parish life come to a standstill with Sunday dismissal? Right. This is because all the things mentioned are extremely harmful and contraindicated:

a) for work;

b) for rest after it.

I am not going to downplay the value of social work and paint pastoral scenes. The impulse of a scientist and designer is wonderful, the service of a doctor and teacher is filled with nobility. The author of these lines himself probably would not have done much without professional passion, so the candle in a lonely window sometimes does not go out until the morning. However, “work” as a phenomenon of social consciousness, as a sociological marker, is something special. Predominant self-identification by gender, profession and official position has been repeatedly noted by sociologists. “Work” is the center and the anchor; a place through which, as through a symbolic umbilical cord, modern man is attached to life, perceives reality, and exchanges energies with it. “Work” pushes home, family and friends out of the list of life priorities. From “work” as a basic category, modern man calculates the proportions of life; Without identifying himself with a specific vacancy or position, he feels overwhelmed, disoriented, standing, as it were, outside the existing world order.

In practice, the shift in emphasis looks like a family from the provinces, in search of work, is ready to go to the capital, a prospect full of risks, but does not solve the issue of employment in their small homeland in one way or another, relying on a habitable place and established connections. There are often examples when in families that do not experience financial difficulties, a woman goes to work, justifying it for one reason or another. Although the real reason is simple: without work you don’t know what to do... In his own home, on his own territory, our contemporary is unable to properly develop his soul, to feel himself in the role of a responsible person, creator and owner. You can’t put your home role on the same level as your work role. Who am I in the house? Cook and scrubber? Nail driver and plumber? And there I am the head of the department! Comparisons, as they say, are unnecessary...

What are the consequences of such a situation and why can’t we be satisfied with the way in which issues of earnings and employment are currently being resolved?

The first unacceptable thing is, of course, “self-identification through work.” It is sad to see when the worldly table of ranks is transferred to church reality. Willy-nilly, we get used to the fact that a person who comes to the temple in an expensive car is considered more prosperous and accomplished than many. Willy-nilly, in the company of fellow humans, we omit conversations about faith and prefer worldly topics in which work and acquisitions play the most important role.

The second thing that should be alarming concerns the role of “work” as a universal substitute for other types of activity - church activity, spiritual-ascetic activity, cognitive activity (we are only interested in what relates to special professional types of knowledge), pedagogical activity (there is no desire to engage in education and generally devote time children), house-building, social, artisan, helping (I don’t want to master skills, take part in types of activities and assignments outside of work “functionality”). It is rare when a person thinks about service and the work of life. Having felt a taste for a career, the Orthodox, alas, stopped looking for special paths, and began to simply “go to work,” content with the general feeling of employment and material opportunities.

It would be strange for the Church to object to the desire for greater well-being. In each example, you will be tortured to explain why replacing a worn-out Zhiguli with a brand new foreign car is harmful to the soul. Perhaps there is nothing reprehensible in changing Zhiguli cars when we have a clear idea of ​​Christian life, and life in the family and church community is full and unfolds in a variety of activities and relationships. There are no two opinions about what is considered main and what is auxiliary or secondary. But as the image of the Christian life blurs and the pressures of the world increase, the desire for income and acquisitions means secularization and a regression to the mass worldview.

Will we be able to break out of the vicious circle of earnings and consumption and give the word “labor” a non-economic meaning? Will the Orthodox community be able to defend its own vision of life and maintain a non-common expression? Fruitless Sisyphean labor according to the general stereotype, for the sake of status, entertainment or satisfying the approaching consumer stress, hardly corresponds to Christian principles. It is good for a Christian to work a lot, but let this work be varied. After all, it is necessary to work not only in the workplace, but also in the family, in the parish, and in friendly relations. And working on yourself is also a lot of work.

Should I join an Orthodox group?

— The question of finding a job concerns not only the profession, but also the people with whom you will work together. How do you understand whether a team is suitable and whether it will not be dangerous for your spiritual health?

- Scripture says: Do not be deceived: evil societies corrupt good morals (1 Cor 15:33). Therefore, if the team is bad, and a person does not feel the spiritual strength to resist this, it is better to leave immediately.

Frivolous people often do not see anything scary in a bad team. And in vain, because when sin becomes a familiar part of life (even if it’s someone else’s sin), willy-nilly we become more tolerant of it. For example, I noticed that almost no modern Western film with a melodramatic plot is complete without the theme of adultery. When you watch a film like this for the first time, you consciously cut off what you consider a sin. It is easier for believers and spiritually developed people to do this, but an ordinary person, the tenth time, begins to automatically treat sin as the norm. Gradually, from the fictional world, he transfers this norm to the world of real life, and a certain internal degradation of a person occurs. And here we are only convinced of the correctness of the apostolic words. Bad communities really corrupt morals.

However, if you feel strong in yourself, if you see at least potential in someone, if you understand that for someone in this environment you can become a witness of Christian life, then continue to work in such a team.

I really don’t like it when people say: “I became a believer. Now I'm not interested in being with old friends. I try not to see them." As a priest, I believe maintaining such friendships is the best way to learn patience. You need to maintain friendship, if only because when your old friends need Christian advice, you will be there. They will not be shy to ask, ask for help, because you are a friend. You are faced with a choice: will a Christian be present in the lives of these people, or will there be no one. What should a Christian choose? Obviously presence. If you can heal the sinful wounds of the collective with your presence, stay.

In no case is this an active mission. I’m not saying that a Christian should immediately start handing out leaflets to employees, start denouncing everyone and forcing them to fast. Of course not. There are two principles in pedagogy: “word” and “example”. You can tell what you should do, or you can show it. It often happens that people, seeing how kindly another person is, how he responds with love, how sacrificial he is, at first laugh, but then they accept him and become like him.

— Many people believe that a good team is an Orthodox team. Is it so?

— In order to understand what an Orthodox team can turn into, go to some Orthodox forum - many myths will be dispelled immediately.

The key problem within such communities is the problem of moderation. Often the external side here is brought to the point of absurdity: starting with morning and evening prayers in the workplace, a dress code with full-length skirts and scarves, ending with work “for the glory of God” instead of the required salary, under the pretext “we have many who are greater than you.” needs." All this in itself may not always be bad, if it does not become a cult. That's one problem.

There is another, no less complex from theological and moral points of view. The problem of heightened perception of others. Often, when communicating with people, I hear that when they were non-believers, they were kinder and calmer towards others. They accepted other people's shortcomings more easily and accepted others for who they are. But having accepted faith, they became embittered, condemn everyone and everything, and see only sins in others. Of course, the question arises: where do such fruits come from? But what is even more alarming is that a whole group of people with such an attitude towards others can gather! We must be aware that the Orthodox community is not a panacea at all.

Where do these fruits come from? Alas, Christianity does not always become the actual content of our life; it often remains external and shallow. After all, as soon as we accept Christ into our soul, we decide to live according to the commandments, we recognize a person’s freedom to be different. The neophyte’s problem is that he is not ready to do exactly this. It seems to him that if he understands or discovers something, he is obliged to share it, and everyone is obliged to agree with him. But if the apostles knew how to share and knew how to do it, today, alas, many do not know and do not know how. Therefore, the gospel turns into evil, good advice into condemnation and intimidation. It is no coincidence that St. Anthony the Great says that one of the main Christian virtues is sobriety of mind. The more soberly we treat our own lives, the more fruit there will be. And until we tell the truth about ourselves, we will not understand what to do next.

There is no Orthodox work

"Brothers and sisters! For the third month I have been reading advertisements, sending out resumes, going to interviews - everything is useless. I am modest, hardworking, pedantic, and most importantly, a believer. What should I do? Modern office life is not compatible with saving the soul.”

“Dear forum members! My heart aches for the children. They were happy with their marital situation, but they were in trouble with their jobs. Wherever we go, there is deadening cynicism. Even in government institutions - libraries, schools, hospitals - everyone is angry and always dissatisfied. What should I do?

“Brothers in Christ! Help an elderly man who openly professes his faith find a job. Nowhere does this happen for more than six months. Experienced driver."

These are quotes from Orthodox forums. I read and think: I wouldn’t take those either. They paralyze my entire work process.

“Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked” - many “Orthodox unemployed” arm themselves with the first line of the Psalter, like a football fan with a branded scarf. Here a colleague at the next table tells vulgar jokes, there the boss is an ethnic Muslim, here it’s basically a banking structure, they deceive people, but I can’t.

With each dismissal, there is more and more “deadly cynicism” around, and pride knocks on the heart more and more insistently. In the end, the applicant for spiritually certified vacancies responds to advertisements in the Orthodox media - but this is not all, thank God! Colleagues at work, despite their headscarves and beards, are still goats in sheep's clothing: mother is always grumbling and sees every penny in someone else's salary; Father, although a kind person, does not leave social networks; the choir director has just returned from Egypt, all inclusive; and there is no place to put marks on the choir members themselves.

So I called the rector I just knew and asked about his personnel policy, and he dumbfounded me with my own words:

— You know, I hire Orthodox Christians very carefully. Sometimes a passive atheist is better than an active believer. Here recently I came across such a barbudos - we barely parted.

— What do you tell your spiritual children when they ask about employment?

— I advise you not to work in the porn industry, at a distillery, not to sell dietary supplements, and to carefully choose your application in the banking sector, marketing, journalism, and law enforcement agencies. But the most important thing is to under no circumstances look for “a job for the Orthodox.”

There is no such thing as godly work. Life can be godly. And you can live it in any workplace, except the obviously world-eating one. I know Orthodox prison guards who deliberately went to work in a colony “because we are needed there more.” I know journalists who, even at risk of professional burnout, remain believers. I even know one marketer whose faith not only does not hinder him from working in this profession, but, on the contrary, helps him.

“Christ didn’t forbid traders from shouting: “Ripe cherries!” Ripe cherry!" - if the cherries they sell are really ripe, says the Orthodox marketer.

— What if the cherry is ripe, but not sweet?

“I only go to work where it’s ripe and sweet.” Promoting a truly high-quality product is a professional pleasure, believe me.

Yes, I believe, I believe. In general, I believe that all sorts of moral and moral burdens only accelerate career growth - unless, of course, you engage in “spiritual harassment” towards your colleagues. First, having to bear the additional costs of faith is a great reason to do better. In order for others to put up with the fact that you are not quite like everyone else, you need to become indispensable. Then you can ask your boss for a day off for a great holiday - he won’t refuse. And even with your office neighbors you can agree not to utter more than three swear words per minute - they will understand and forgive.

Secondly, it is only in post-Soviet films that adventurers and cynics achieve everything, and people with guidelines are mattresses and mumblers. In fact, in a stable society, only those who have character have brilliant and secure careers, and to have character, you need to have values. A person for whom there are “dos” and “don’ts” has a much better chance of succeeding than a predator ready for anything, armed only with his own meanness. Especially if these “dos” and “don’ts” are so strong that they are not noticeable to others.

For some reason, the “Orthodox unemployed” are very afraid of the economy. Mechanisms for making a profit seem sinful to them in themselves. This is a completely irrational fear that is high time to get rid of. Business is just another opportunity to take action. Money is the same language as the one with which I am writing this text now. He can also destroy, but he can also create. Re-read the Gospel - is Christ afraid of the economy? Almost all the parables - about the talents, about the winegrower, about the unfaithful steward - operate with the difficult economic realities of that time. It is as if today the Savior taught us using the words “dividends”, “venture investments”, “volatility”.

It is not the place that stains a person, but the person who soils the place. It is not much more difficult to destroy a soul in a monastery than behind the counter of a jewelry store. Meaningful work aimed at positively transforming reality is the entire criterion when selecting a job for any normal person. The only advantage of an Orthodox Christian is that, due to underdeveloped ambition, he seems to be obliged to see great meaning even in the most ordinary work.

In short, as modern youth say, don’t blow your mind. Ninety percent of vacancies on the labor market will definitely suit you. And if you think otherwise, perhaps it’s just time to go to confession.

How to combine work and family

- In addition to people in the service, the work issue also concerns the people at home, your family. Should spouses agree among themselves what jobs to take? Or is it a personal matter for everyone, how to develop their abilities and talent?

— It is important to understand that both may be wrong here. The wife may not have sufficient moral grounds to prohibit her husband from getting a new job. A wife may prohibit something out of whim, jealousy and selfishness. And vice versa. She may have very serious reasons for considering this profession (work) unworthy for her husband. And here, if the family is Christian, you cannot do without the advice of a third person. This does not mean that you must necessarily look for some old man. It is enough to find an adequate priest, just a sober-minded Orthodox person, a friend who can tell you which of you is right and which is wrong. Scripture says: Salvation consists of much counsel (Prov. 11:14). It is really useful for Orthodox people to consult with each other, because sometimes we can be pulled in one direction or another. We support each other with our advice. It happens that sometimes a person simply doesn’t see himself, doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want someone else to work, what speaks in himself? Is it jealousy, envy, fear that something will not work out for your loved one? And on the contrary, the one who works thinks that all the arguments of the spouse are nonsense, trifles that do not matter. Although this particular position can work to destroy a family. Peace in the family is much more important than a career. If I have the opportunity to grow in my career or to grow in my relationship with my spouse, as a Christian I choose the latter. Because if we see marriage as liturgy, as mutual salvation in cooperation, as sacrifice and love, then it is obvious that this growth is much, much more important than any career.

*** — To summarize, what steps should a person take when faced with the question of how and where to look for work?

“I think that, firstly, a person should pray that the Lord will guide his choice, to help him combine the desired work with life according to the commandments. Secondly, a person should listen to himself, to his desires and capabilities, so that work does not turn out to be internally alien to him, as if imposed by fashion or tempting prospects. Thirdly, do not forget about your neighbors, try, while working, not to cause damage to family relationships.

By the way

Shortly before his death, small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov wrote a letter to Patriarch Kirill, in which he asked the Primate: “My mental pain is unbearable, the same insoluble question: since my machine gun took people’s lives, therefore, I, Mikhailo Kalashnikov, ninety-three years old from birth, the son of a peasant woman, a Christian and Orthodox by his faith, is guilty of the death of people, even of an enemy?” The Patriarch wrote in response to Mikhail Timofeevich: “With pain in your heart, you write that the weapons you once created for good purposes are not always used today to preserve peace. But it is important to understand that the responsibility for this lies not with the inventor, but with those malicious people who turn the achievements of technical progress to harm their neighbors.”