If you want to understand what makes work meaningful, you might want to ask a zookeeper. In JSTOR Daily, Livia Gershon followed Meghan Nemes at her job as a zoo keeper. "[Meghan] estimates that she spends 90 percent of her day scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, and disposing of the feces of dozens of species of animals. Yet, when she talks about her work, she practically vibrates with excitement."

Researchers have found that zookeepers have "about the closest anyone in the modern, secular world comes to having a calling—the sort of intensely meaningful career that Martin Luther said could turn work into a divine offering." And yet the article also notes, "Zookeeping is dirty, repetitive, and poorly paid. And yet people volunteer for years, move across the country, and accept major sacrifices in their personal lives to be able to do it."

Possible Preaching Angle:

So, what's up with these zookeepers? Obviously, they can serve and take care of grungy details because they know they're part of something bigger. What about Christians? Every follower of Christ has a special calling, even if the details of our jobs sometimes are grungy.

Source:

Livia Gershon, “What Makes Work Meaningful? Ask a Zookeeper,” JSTOR Daily (6-24-15)