According to a Wall Street Journal report, hiring has increased in many fields during the pandemic. Yet, recent college graduates are still largely underemployed, leading many to move back in with mom and dad.

There’s a lot of reasons for this, but a main one is a generation caught between bad ideas. On one hand, young people are told to see difficult circumstances and opposing views as harmful. On the other hand, they’re in a culture where self-worth is primarily based in accomplishments. These ideas aren’t just contradictory; they’re unbiblical.

In a Christian view of work, God gave humans both the capacity and calling for meaningful labor. Work was among those things called “good” by God, before the Fall. Because our value and dignity comes from bearing the image of God and not merely what we accomplish, we are able to persevere and even flourish, despite discomfort, challenges, or complications.