Last week I introduced the idea that we profane our work when we make it all about ourselves. 

My mentor—Dr. Kinlaw—taught me a key principle of the universe regarding our design; we are to have an outward versus inward focus for true success. Consider the universe designed with an “others-orientation”: The sun shines on the earth to help produce life, the moon's gravitational pull serves to clean our shores via the tides, the myriad species of flora and fauna on our planet sustain us with life.

Kinlaw told me about Augustine’s definition of sin captured in the Latin phrase, “incurvatus in se” which simply means curved inward on oneself. When we operate with an outward focus—serving others, serving God—versus an inward focus of serving me, things just go a whole lot better. We experience success. Your marriage works better when each of you is all about the other. Your work environment improves when you treat your employees with respect and fairness. 

When my work is focused on the betterment of others and society, I am operating in alignment with the “grain of the universe”, to borrow the words of Stanley Hauerwas. I’m curved outward. But when everything is about me—I’m curved inward—everything degenerates into prideful and selfish outcomes. I lie, steal, cheat, abuse—I do whatever it takes to make me look good and serve self. Work is now about self-worship; I’m curved in on myself instead of curved outward. If my work is worship—placing worth and value outside of myself—I am no longer sinning but operating according to the original design intended for me.

Need a real-world example of profanity in business? Consider the 2001-2002 corporate scandals committed by Bernie Ebbers from Worldcom and Kenneth Lay of Enron. What's truly sad is that both of these men were Sunday school teachers who professed faith in Jesus yet both massively ripped off their employees. Why? Their work was not worship, rather, they were serving self with their work, going against the grain of the universe.