Kurt Vonnegut's novel Timequake centers on a series of stories about people who have lost control of their lives. Rather than determine their own destinies, the characters in the book enter a "timequake" where they are forced to repeat the same bad choices over and over again without the possibility for improvement or redemption. When the "timequake" finally ends and people once again have the chance to live their own lives, most people are still gripped by Post-Timequake-Apathy (or PTA), a condition that keeps people immobilized by despair. One of the main characters named Kilgore Trout is the only one who isn't gripped by this state of apathy. Towards the end of the story, he tries to revive others by repeating this motto: "You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do."

"You were sick, but now you're well, and there's work to do." That's a description of every Christian's experience. I was sick. Now I'm well. And now there's work to do. God in his infinite love doesn't just save us, clean us, and dump us. He saves us, cleans us, and employs us.