On Building Cathedrals

A parable on the the virtue of work.

There is an ancient story of three stonemasons that has evergreen relevance for cultivating a virtue of work even today. The author is unknown and the details vary from one retelling to another but it goes something like this:

One day, three stonemasons were hard at their task when a man came along and asked what they were doing. The first stonemason, chisel in hand, hammering away, responded somewhat sarcastically, “I’m cutting this stone.” The inquisitor approached the second mason, who, though less of a curmudgeon, responded simply, “I’m providing for my family.” Turning to yet a third mason, the response was quite different. The mason replied with a sparkle in his eye, “I’m building a cathedral! This stone is one among many that will assemble to glorify God far beyond my lifetime.”

The contrast is clear. The first man saw nothing but a rock in his way of better things to do. Anything was better than this, he must have thought, and the only force propelling his instrument was a desire to get on with the next thing.

The second saw a means to the end of surviving and being a provider. These are worthy ends, of course, but there are much softer means of achieving the goal. He seems cornered in the job market, resigned to a task that was necessary but not meaningful.

The third, however, saw meaning in his work that fueled a joy that far outweighed the rock beneath his chisel. He saw past the grit and grind to an abiding purpose. He saw what the task meant in the grand scheme and found fulfillment in his work.

Encouragement for Today

I have had many conversations recently with people struggling to find purpose in what they do. Some younger who don’t know what they’ll be doing for the rest of their life and with too many options to see clearly. Others who seem to have fallen into an undesirable line of work or crushed under an unreasonable leadership that leaves them wondering about what could have been.

These are not easy situations and I won’t pretend to have an easy answer. But if there is one thing we can learn from this old story it is that we can find meaning in the work if we are willing to see the grand scheme.

For those of you reading who have placed your trust in a Sovereign God, know that there is meaning to what you do, even if it is hard to find. Serve as unto the Lord and learn to see the rock at which you are chiseling away for what it could be.

Whatever it is that you find yourself doing, give yourself to that work and trust God for the result. Go on, and build a cathedral for the glory of God that will outlast your earthly life.

Coram Deo