By Gina Caswell Kelly
As I write this, I am getting ready to help host a job fair. We have many businesses interested in hiring help. It seems that the nationwide trend is that not many people really want to work. It seems as though everybody wants a paycheck, but not everybody wants to work for one. The Bible is really clear on work. It says we should do it!
From the very first, Adam was told by God to work the soil. In Genesis 2:15 it says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it.” In the second chapter of the whole beginning of our world, work was mentioned. God intends us to work. All throughout the Old Testament we see examples of the work man was doing, from tilling the soil, to shepherding the sheep, to tending the vineyards, to going to the well for jars of water.
In Proverbs 14:23 Solomon writes, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” We are expected to work to help our society to continue to thrive. We are expected to do our jobs well. We are supposed to do everything our job states we will do. At a place I used to work, one day one of the workers came in and said, “We have all been on time all week, can we have a bonus for that?” (Insert the sound of crickets here.) Being on time is expected, not rewarded. Doing your job is expected, not rewarded. Going above and beyond will be rewarded. Seeing a need and meeting that need, even though it may not technically be your job, will be rewarded.
One of the best verses about work is found in Colossians 3:23. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for your human bosses.” Whatever you do, do it as if you are actually working for the Lord! Because you are! As Christians, everything we do reflects on God. We are His creation. We are His children. We should work in such a way as to be pleasing to Him.
We are to teach our children the value of hard work. We should teach our children the value of even working in the yard. Getting our hands dirty, and sweating. We should teach our children to respect those in authority. We should teach our children to work as if they own the company! It is a parent’s responsibility to raise the next generation’s workforce. You should never come home and complain about your job or your boss in front of your children. They have to learn that it is possible to work hard and love it! It is possible to love those who are in charge of you. It is possible to go to work each day smiling and grateful for what lies in front of you.
In Galatians 6:4-5, it states, “Each one should test their own actions. See if it is possible to take pride in what you have done, without comparing themselves to others. Each one should carry their own load.”
Test your actions. Can you be proud of what you have done? Are you teaching your children pride in a job well done? It will make the difference!
