Work gives us the gift to grow our capacity, even beyond what we think is possible. Many a small company founder who has grown the organization substantially will say something to the likes of, “We never dreamed that we’d be this big”. Likely, the truth is that they dreamed it at some point, but didn’t believe they had the capacity to grow as they did, but in hindsight they could see how they matured and became capable of bigger things. The same can be said about our ability to work. We definitely change over time but it doesn’t mean that our capacity necessarily has to lessen. According to researcher Raymond Cattell, early in our careers we have “Fluid Intelligence” which allows us to innovate and create while still keeping on top of all that we have to do and we can do so pretty much on our own. That kind of fluid intelligence may decrease over time but what Cattell calls, “Crystal Intelligence” increases. As he says, “We’re much better at synthesizing ideas. We have a vast library, much less working memory, but a much better vocabulary, pattern recognition, and ability to synthesize ideas of other people”. And our work is the laboratory to harness and hone these different capacities. To be able to do that is a gift.
The capacity that we have that never decreases is our capacity to increase spiritually. As mental and physical capacity gets used up, there is no cap on how much we can grow in our relationship with God. The more we rely on Him, the more we can grow. It’s part of His gift to us.
Reference: Psalm 119:32 (New Living Translation)