♥ Is Work More than WorK?
My very favorite niece advised me to keep posts short. Perceiver of Truth will tell you that if you want a quick answer, don’t go to mom. If you want to sit down, savor a conversation, talk detail, then I’m the go-to mom. There’s a sign on my porch that says, “Sit Long. Talk Much.” At 40, I learned to love who God made me to be. “Sit Long. Talk Much”–that’s me.
I did shorten my last piece. Really! I did. Today’s post is the edited portion from “Whatever You do, Do with All Your Might.” I really did try to sit long, post little.
Let’s finish my discussion on working. Instilling a great work ethic in our children gives them wings to soar. Let me be very clear here. I am not saying that I have successfully instilled a great work ethic in my children. It is a work in progress. I don’t know if what I’m doing is right. All I know is that I have to step forward in faith one day at a time, make the best decisions with the information I have, and plant seeds-verbally, through my example, and what I culturally bring into our sphere.
However, I want to take “Working with All Your Might” two steps further. First, we need to define work. Work is any task to which hands are put.
Work comes in at least 2 categories; tasks that are a chore: a burden, grind, trail. It is part of the rat race, not who we are or how we define ourselves. Chores are defined as unstimulating, demeaning, trash-talking opportunities accompanied by a little whine. After all, chores are “not who we are.”
Work can also be a “career” or a hobby by which we define ourselves, like a badge that boasts of talent, work ethic, success. Can you say “Career” and not smile? Or think the name of your hobby and not eagerly anticipate?
Biblically, there is no differentiation between chore, career, or hobby. We are encouraged to do our best, to work with all our might.
Not only does God want us to work with all our might at whatever we happento be do, but He wants our work to be praise:
“In all that you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for me”(Colossians 3:23)
Able offered the firstborn of his flock-considered the best he had to offer (Genesis 4:4). Second-best offerings resulted in punishment, a lack of favor.
Abraham offered to sacrifice the desire of his heart, his dream (Genesis: 22). Sacrificial offerings were never second best. God offered his perfect son. He didn’t change the rules of sacrificial offering for Him–He was the example for us to follow.
We have only ourselves to offer God. That part of ourselves includes the work of our hands, hands dipped in the kitchen sink, folding laundry, fingers typing words of encouragement or relating a hilarious story, hands driving, or creating beautiful cards, scrapbooks, delicious recipes, weeding the walkway, rubbing lotion on poison ivy.
How can work be a trudge when we are offering that work as praise? Does that change what you think about your “chores?” While sitting here typing, my kitchen says, “No–there’s definitely no work as praise going on in here right now.” The laundry room–imagine my laundry–instead of saying, “It’s a curse” (remember, what you speak is what you get) “I’m going to walk the talk this next week.
Doing my best for God!. It might not be perfect, but I’m going to try my best at whatever I turn my hand to as a gift to God saying, “Thank You for all You have done for me.”
Maybe I will develop a better example for my sons to follow. Maybe that is how to successfully plant a strong work ethic in my sons!
Special thanks to Mummy McTavish for posting a note. Her comment gave me the encouragement I needed to complete my discussion. Visit her at samster-dot-com.blogspot.com.
*I would have taken pictures of my kitchen, but my camera is packed for our BIG MOVE this weekend to a whole new frontier!
Thanks for coming by my SITS Featured blog today!
it’s really hard for me to post short posts too! I have gotten so much better though… Plus, you always have wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement, and sometimes that just can’t be said in “few words” ya know??
I try to keep my posts short too. Ha. Sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.
Great reminder to do everything as unto the Lord and to be excellent. I certainly am glad I cleaned out my closet before I read this post. lol
Hey — your subscriptions work. Hallelujah! See … I think you should just come over to blogspot and add a follow-me gadget. Ha.
Blessings to you today!
Beth
You don’t know how hard I tried that! If I wasn’t a faith girl, I would have jumped off a cliff;)
I don’t do short posts very well either.
I have been thinking about this heaps since your first post. Wolf and I are often talking about what is wrong with my generation (he’s a different generation, an older one ☺). There is no work ethic, we were getting our first jobs when jobs were thick on the ground, if we didn’t like one we quit and had another within the week. If someone made us work too hard we got upset and found someone who was willing to pay for us to do whatever we wanted. People were getting desperate for staff, you were able to “demand” things of your employer. You weren’t working for God or man, just for the $$ you could get. It was bound to go wrong, they are now finding that their lack of work ethic is making them first out the door in these tougher times.
God had other plans for me. I was working as a volunteer in a small christian mission bookshop and I just couldnt get a ‘real’ job. They were out there and I was a hard worker, so why not? God had a reason for having me there and if I had thrown my hands up in a huff and left I would have missed out on so much. Eventually the man of my dreams would start hanging out there (and helping out) just to see me (although we knew each other from church), we would start dating, we would get married, we would both join as missionaries and serve God in that little bookshop. If I had left in a huff I am sure God would have taken just as good care of me, after all I can’t screw up his plans, they are perfect, but I know that I would have missed out on so much. Our hard work as volunteers early on meant that we were offered an opportunity to serve God doing the work that we loved and get paid for it! BONUS!
I find it’s older generations that understand why we do what we do for a missionary income. My generation think we’re nuts and should just go find another job where we don’t have to work as hard and get paid more. Yes, even the Christians.
It shouldn’t matter though if you are working for God as a missionary or working for God flipping burgers or working for God in the laundry at home (my current calling). If you are working for God you are putting in your best effort and praising God with that work!
Turns out I don’t do short comments either ☺
Sorry if it’s a bit disjointed, my brain tried hard, but I fear it falls well short of your eloquently worded post.
You are such a blessing:)
Well I think I instilled in my girls from very early on that unless you’re Paris Hilton (which clearly they weren’t) they must expect to work to make ends meet. Secondly, the cruel truth is that it is a very rare person indeed who is able to do a job of work that they absolutely love. Therefore the best scenario is to put your nose to the grindstone and do whatever it is that you do to the best of your ability because the reality is that no matter how small and insignifant the task you will be a whole lot happier when you do it to the best of your ability.
I’m pleased to say that my advice seems to have worked. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! The easel came from Melissa and Doug….LOVE their stuff!=)
Great post! I learned from my parents to work hard for things that I want. It wasn’t always easy… part of that “working hard” was working at a job I didn’t like so that I could pay for school, car, clothes, food, bills… But it made me appreciate the things that I have. It made me feel better about my accomplishments because after all the hard work and $$… I earned a degree. I know some kids have it easier than I did.. their parents pay for everything! I’m sure my son will have it easier than I did too, because we are planning for his future. But, we will still teach him to work hard for the things that he wants in life so he learns to appreciate the things that he has. I can only hope we do a good job as parents. I won’t know the outcome till he’s much older. 😉
This post reminds me of what my brother-in-law says, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” Haha! I love that you sit long and talk much!
Popped in from SITS to say hi!
Amen!!! 🙂 Thanks for the visit…I love hearing from a fellow Project Runway fan. 😉
what an uplifting blog you have..
Thanks for stopping by..
Colossians 3:23 was a verse I’d have to quote over and over again when I worked essentially as a telemarketer!
I think my posts are too short…Thanks for coming by to visit. I love your banner. Such handsome young men you are raising. Great work!
Instilling a work ethic in our children is definitely something that is done by example. And, considering that everything we do should be done as unto the Lord as praise, it should take the drudgery out of the tasks that we do. Therefore, it should be a joy. So, adding the joy of praise to the Lord, to our gifts, will take it to the next level. And all along the way, we will be enjoying every minute of it. As we remember this ourselves and model it in our lives, our children will be instilled with an example of a wonderful work ethic catapulting the giftings God has given us beyond our wildest imaginations.
Thanks for this uplifting post.
Christy
wait a minute… aren’t I your only niece….
And that makes you a very rare, special person in my very male dominated world! Ben only wants one child when he gets married. He wants to be able to have a favorite! I have 8 favorite nephews, 5 favorite sons, and only 1 favorite niece. Lucky you! The only #1 in the bunch–LOL
I can’t believe you still have time to blog with a move this weekend. You are soooooper mom.
Is the computer the last thing moved? You probably have a laptop.
It’s always good to have you drop by. I hope you’re move goes well. Enjoy your new home.
Why are you moving? Jobs? Is it far from where you are now?
Take care,
Nannette
well said! i know what you mean – short blog posts are probably read more as we have such short attention spans, but some things just can’t be said in a couple of paragraphs, right?
thanks for stopping by!
I don’t think your posts are too long at all! 🙂
I love thtat you want to set a good example for your sons to have a strong worth ethic. We are all a work in progress!
Good luck with the move!
Sit Long, Talk Much. I love that. and I love your posts, long or short. Don’t try to shorten them just to come up with short ones.
This is the malady that this generation is in. Mini books and all that stuff. I understand why your niece wants shorter posts. Probably a blog is more readable when the posts aren’t too long.
It depends. SOme posts are long and rambly. That’s too bad. But your posts, if they end up being long, have a good reason. And they are meaty.
So to use a famous song, “I love you just the way you are!”
Loooking forward to hearing more about that big move.
Love,
Lidj