more important things

“There are more important things.”

I was talking to one of my coworkers recently about some of the frustrations we encounter in our work on a daily basis, and the ultimate fact that, although there are frustrations, and we have to work through them in order to work with excellence, there are more important things in life. At the end of the day, we must leave it behind. That’s one of the reasons I have a hard time doing “work” work at home – if my job follows me home, important though it is, it’s much easier to lose sight of the fact that there are more important things in life. 

Ultimately, it's an issue of purpose – what, or who are we really doing this for? God? Family? Country? And why are we doing it? I need a persistent reminder that everything I do should be ordered to the greater glory of God – in Latin, ad majorem Dei gloriam – AMDG – this is written on a Post-It note and stuck on the top of my monitor at work, so I see it every time I look up. I try to remember to write it at the top of the notes I take in the course of each day - not out of habit, but with intention, to recall to mind purpose. There is a reason for the things that I do. Incidentally, AMDG is the motto St. Ignatius of Loyola gave the Jesuit order, which he founded. I didn’t know this until quite recently – I’d known the abbreviation AMDG and its Latin meaning, but never its origins. St. Ignatius chose this motto for the Jesuits based on the idea that all work done without evil intent, is done for good and thus can be thought of as offered for the greater glory of God. 


I love that idea, because in it, St. Ignatius recognized that everything we do is important to the kingdom of God and can be good and right and even holy - even if it's not work done explicitly for the Church or in the name of Christ - it is the work of Christians in the world, and so long as we work for good and not evil, we work for God. It also makes AMDG equally a reminder and an exhortation: a reminder of purpose, and an exhortation to work for good and thus for God. There are many things more important than our work, and knowing for Whom we truly work is most important.  






+peace, and all good.