From the frustration of endless meetings to the sting of unfulfilled dreams, work often leaves us weary. Why is work so hard? At the Work Matters Conference, Pastor Anand Mahadevan delved into the gospel story of the Fall to help us understand why work is broken—and how Jesus’ redemption transforms it into something meaningful again.

The External Consequence: Work Becomes Toil
Genesis 3:17-19 describes the curse on Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you… By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.” Work, which was designed to be fulfilling and fruitful, became toilsome and frustrating. The once-perfect harmony between humanity and creation was disrupted, and labour became laborious.

Pastor Anand illustrated this reality by sharing examples from modern workplaces. Deadlines, challenging bosses, and the pressure to perform can drain us physically and emotionally. However, as he pointed out, it’s not just the tasks themselves that exhaust us—it’s the deeper fears and insecurities that often accompany them.

Citing Timothy Keller, Pastor Anand described this inner struggle as “the work beneath the work”—the constant striving to prove ourselves and find meaning through our labor. This emotional and spiritual exhaustion drains us the most. It stems from our attempts to use work to secure our identity and worth. Whether we’re seeking approval from a boss, striving for career advancement, or fearing failure, this inner striving leaves us feeling depleted. The external toil of work is directly linked to the internal turmoil caused by sin.

The Internal Consequence: The Heart’s Struggle with Sin
The Fall not only made work harder externally but also corrupted our hearts. Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 captures the frustration and futility of work in a fallen world. The writer laments that after all his toil and skill, he must leave the fruit of his labour to someone else—someone who may squander it. This complaint reveals a deeper issue: the selfish assumption that we should be the primary beneficiaries of our work.

“Fallen work makes us selfish,” Pastor Anand explained. “It leads us to assume that the most natural thing is for us to be the main beneficiary of our work.” This self-centered perspective turns work into an idol, distorting its purpose. Rather than seeing work as a means of glorifying God and serving others, we make it all about ourselves—our success, our security, our fulfillment.

This idolatry of work stems from a deeper fear: the fear of worthlessness. In a performance-driven culture, we are only as good as our last success. A lawyer is only as valuable as the last case won, an entrepreneur as the last successful startup, a tech professional as the last code written. “Even the smallest failure can leave us feeling worthless,” Pastor Anand noted. This fear attacks our very identity as image-bearers of God, stripping us of the confidence that comes from being made in His likeness.

Jesus’ Work Transforms Our Work
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end with the Fall. The good news is that Jesus came not only to redeem our souls but also to restore our work. On the cross, Jesus endured the ultimate rejection and worthlessness so that we might be restored to the fullness of our identity in God. “Jesus endured what we fear the most—that we are not good enough,” Pastor Anand said. Through His death and resurrection, Christ restores our Imago Dei (image of God) and adds something even greater: adoption as sons and daughters of the Most High.

This new identity frees us from the idolatry of work. When we recognize that our worth is secure in Christ, we no longer need to strive for approval or define ourselves by our performance.

Instead, we can approach work as an act of worship—serving God, contributing to human flourishing, and finding fulfillment in His purposes.

Christ’s work also reorients our perspective on the purpose of work. As Pastor Anand emphasized, “The Bible invites us to see that God Himself is the primary beneficiary of our work.” Our labour is ultimately for His glory, not our self-actualization. This doesn’t diminish the value of personal fulfillment but places it within the proper order: God’s glory, human flourishing, and our joy.

Hope for the Future
The hope of restoration in Christ gives us the strength to persevere in the face of fallen work. Revelation 22:3-5 paints a picture of a future where work is no longer marked by toil and frustration. In the new creation, work will be perfectly fulfilling—a joyful act of worship that reflects God’s glory.

Until that day, we live in the tension of the “already but not yet.” We experience glimpses of redemption as we partner with God in His work of renewal, but we also continue to face the brokenness of the Fall. By fixing our eyes on Jesus and His finished work, we can navigate this tension with confidence and hope.