We don't - God does

Well-spoken words bring satisfaction; well-done work has its own reward. (Proverbs 12:14)

Words and work - both can be done well, or both can be done without thinking. Think your words before you speak them and you are likely to reap a harvest closer to what you desired, not a reactionary and hostile response in return. Think through your work, planning carefully each step you must take, and you will likely end up with the results you desire. Be lazy with either your words or your work and the outcome will be less than desirable.

John F. Kennedy reminded us that gratitude is good, but "we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." We are to live by our words - so we must be very, very careful what words we utter! John C. Maxwell tells us that people "hear our words but feel our attitude". What are your words revealing about your inner attitude right now? Remember, you can attempt to conceal with 'just the right words', but the heart will betray the attitude at some point.

"All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today." (Pope Paul VI) Work isn't for the weak, nor is it for the wishy-washy. It involves this 'striving' that Pope Paul referred to - the exertion of vigorous effort and thought. We might attempt to gain wealth other ways, but the most rewarding is when we have given ourselves to the process and given the best we could give. 

Thomas Fuller reminds us, "All things are difficult before they are easy." We don't have a change of attitude just because we want one - we have to work for it. We don't change a negative habit just out of the blue - we have to adjust our lifestyle to no longer pursue that habit. We don't learn to think before we speak on a whim - we must practice listening, processing, and then use the wisdom God gives in the process. We don't - God does. This is the point here - good people aren't good inherently - they are good because God is in them, working to change their words and work so both match up and bring him honor. Just sayin!

Working hard or hardly working?

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. 

(Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 NLT)

There are always going to be days when we just look at whatever we are doing and wonder if it is all worth it. This is just a human reaction to stuff when it gets a little harried and difficult to go through. We want to know whatever it is we are "enduring" is going to somehow be worth it. I have taken on projects that physically tax my body - only to wonder half-way through why in blazes I ever started the task! This can be especially true in the hard work we undertake that actually stretches us beyond capacity. We don't enjoy the stretching process much after we get into it, even though we may have been totally gung-ho at the start!

The truth is that God designed hard work - regardless of how we might feel about it right now! The design of God is for each of us to be stretched now and again - so we don't grow "flabby" in our faith. He wants us to be challenged - so our trust grows deeper and our hold on his truth becomes more solid. Have you ever noticed just how close you grow to God during the tough times? Do you think that is by accident? Nope! It is by design!

The enjoyment of life is not a sinful thing - God designed for us to work hard, then to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I know there have been times when I decided to build something for the garden, or perhaps repaint a room to freshen it up a bit. It took lots and lots of energy, stretching me to capacity at times. When I get to finally admire the job at the end, it is kind of rewarding - like the "fruit" of my labor becomes some kind of "artwork" I get to take it for a while and just "enjoy".

We don't know the scope or magnitude of all God has planned for us, but we can rest assure that if we apply ourselves to it, we will enjoy the fruit of whatever it is he has purposed for us to do! This is what we hold onto as we "go through" stuff that seems harder than we imagined it would be. This is what we gather around when we recognize we need help in the journey. No one sets out to fail. No one sets out fully knowing what they will encounter, either.

What we realize from our "hard work" may not seem like much today, but continual application of what we know as we continue to journey from this piece of work to the next will eventually result in a finished masterpiece we can stand back and enjoy fully as we see what all came together. Just sayin!

Don't be stingy!

I know there is nothing better for us than to be joyful and to do good throughout our lives; to eat and drink and see the good in all of our hard work is a gift from God. I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done.  What has been and what is to be—already is. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-15 VOICE)  

Hard work - we use that term to describe the fruitful endeavors of our hands, the back-breaking labor of our energies exerted in some task needing to be finally accomplished, and the exhaustion of our minds as we settle back to rest our weary bodies after a long day at the "salt mine" we call "work".  Hard implies we had to put some effort into it - maybe it was more than just physically fatiguing because it was troublesome for us to accomplish.  I have undertaken some projects on occasion which game me more headaches and soreness in my muscles that I wondered if it was all worth it once I got done. I just had to stand back and admire the work that was accomplished to know the answer to that musing, though.  There is nothing better than the sense of accomplishing something which just seemed to be beyond your abilities!  I think God must revel in our excitement when we stand back and just get excited about what he did in our lives once we let him get "underway" with that area which has been "troublesome" to us!

All the God does endures for all times - even when the memory of it become clouded by all the events which have come since.  We have a tendency to "move on" in our lives - seeing that good brought momentary excitement and fulfillment, but eventually, we move on.  We have other things to get on with in our lives and the "good" God has done some time in the past sort of fades into the background, overshadowed by the next troublesome thing we face either emotionally, physically, or spiritually.  Remembering what God HAS done helps us to face what God is presently DOING and what he may be setting up in our lives to have DONE in the future, though.  It isn't always a good thing to put the past memory of God's grace in the shadows of today's present problems - we may just find strength, or the building block upon which he will lay the "next row of bricks" in our lives.

Solomon spends the majority of the Book of Ecclesiastes reminding us we can build, work hard with our hands, muse over scientific studies, apply ourselves to the gaining of knowledge galore, all to be found as pretty worthless in the end. It isn't that these aren't good things - for they are gifts of God - but they pale in comparison to all God does in our lives we may not even recognize he has done! To focus on the task and forget the one who gives us the ability to accomplish the task is what Solomon wants us to guard against - for nothing else matters as much as how connected we become with Jesus in the process of taking on the tasks we see laid out before us!  There is no greater expanse of beauty for our souls than to stand squarely in the presence of God and admire what he has done. We can take credit for the hard work we have done with our own hands, but we cannot ever take credit for the way God orchestrates our lives to allow us to be in the place to do those things.  

God deserves our praise, but he also deserves our time - just to take in all he has done, is doing and is about to do in our lives.  This isn't wasted time - it is time spent replenishing our souls, refreshing our minds, rebuilding our emotions, and in general, it is the time we "recharge" for the tasks which are just ahead.  Don't skimp on time with Jesus - he doesn't skimp on anything with us!  Just sayin!

Working toward retirement?

I had a conversation with a person the other day who has retired and finds himself just a little "cooped up" in the house these days.  He isn't really that unique to some who have no specific "function" to perform once they retire. Many will recount how much they looked forward to retirement - hoping for lazy days, leisurely coffee in the mornings, and an occasional trip abroad to explore places on their "bucket list".  Then in almost the next breath, you will begin to hear this "hint" of remorse because retirement isn't working out as they planned.  Either they lost the one they hoped to spend all that time with, or they seem a little bit "lost" because they have more time on their hands than they counted on.  The truth is God made us to "work", not retire.  The first definition for "retire" in the dictionary usually refers to this process of "going away or apart", as in to withdraw.  It takes a couple more definitions to find the one which refers to "ceasing employment".  Just because we cease our "employment" doesn't mean we cease work!  We just change "professions"! We might take on new tasks, but we don't stop entirely.  When we choose to stop entirely, we often find ourselves feeling a little unfulfilled because God made us to pursue purposeful endeavors, my friends.  Now, don't get me wrong - I am working toward retirement just like others are.  All this means is that I am trying to ensure I have enough saved so I don't have to rely upon the day-to-day grind of continuing employment through the final days of my life.  I don't plan to stop "working" entirely.  If you have ever talked with me at any length about what I want to do "into my retirement" you will soon have discovered I want to volunteer at church, spend time in disaster or relief efforts through an organization who supports these efforts, and also enjoy travels, family, and lots of friendship moments!  I don't want to withdraw into some hobbit existence - I have purpose left to fulfill, so I want to continue doing that until the day I breathe my last!

If you obey the Lord, you won’t go hungry; if you are wicked, God won’t let you have what you want. Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich.  At harvest season it’s smart to work hard, but stupid to sleep. (Proverbs 10:3-5 CEV)

Right now, those of us who still "go off to work", or engage in some "work" experience at home (even those of you who are "stay at home" moms and dads) find ourselves perhaps day-dreaming about what it will be like to not have to "work so hard" all the time.  I guess this is human nature - we long for the weekends.  Lately, my weekends have been just as full as my weeks!  The weather is changing and my weekend "yard" improvements are under full construction (literally).  First came the deck extension - a project my son did most of the work on during his vacation, but one which required a great deal of work on my part, as well.  We put up the canopy beams together, made the supports and installed them, then hung the overhead shade screen.  After he made his way home, I still had to stain all the raw wood.  That was one weekend.  By the next weekend, I still had a mission in mind.  I wanted to block off the unsightly appearance of the sheds in the background of this area.  So, that meant some type of lattice work, or a shade screen installed between two of the larger support posts to assist in "blocking the view".  Guess what I did yesterday!  Yep, I got out the miter saw and went to work on that one!  Now it is up, stained, and looking sharp!  The BBQ grill has a new home.  The patio is cleaned off a little and the raised veggie gardens are looking good.  Yet, I am not done!  I still need to borrow the belt sander from my son, take down the deck surface we stained last year and re-stain/water seal it for this year!  

Most of life is like this - we do one thing which leads to another and then another. Most of life's "work" is never done!  We continue to evolve from one project to another until we find ourselves glad to celebrate the ones behind us, but then looking ahead to the ones yet incomplete before us.  Whether it be the practical stuff of life like the deck which needs a little attention, or the "softer" stuff in life like the relationship which needs a little cultivating, we all have "projects" in life which never really "finish".  There are times we just want to "retire", but if we were to do so, we'd miss out on all God has planned for us in the "difficulty of the work" which still remains to be done.  It is hard not to want to just be "lazy" and walk away from the harder stuff!  For example, I put another coat of stain over the old deck, just as an interim measure of protecting it and the raised beds.  I won't be able to ignore the older section of the deck forever, though.  The "new coat" of stain won't change the fact I have some areas which are cracked and need a good water seal on them!  I will need to invest the time to do the job well if I want the long term benefits of enjoying this deck!

The same is true in our everyday lives - those things we want to have the privilege of enjoying long-term will take effort way beyond what we put into it today!  We must continue to cultivate relationships, or they dry up and we find ourselves drifting apart.  We must nurture our commitment to truth, or we will find ourselves adopting all kind of "mindless philosophy" which seems reasonable, but really has no solid basis.  We must invest our time in worthwhile efforts which produce good results, but don't take away from those things which are really a priority in our lives.  In the days when Solomon penned these words, the man's "work" was part and parcel with his family life.  If he was a carpenter, his whole family life surrounded his chosen career.  He would work in a "shop" which was usually attached to his home.  He'd craft his wares right where his sons and daughters would watch him do it.  He'd take teachable moments to instruct his wee ones on the finer points of choosing the right woods, fitting the pieces together in such a way as to give them both form and solid structure, and the like.  When he would see the children squabble over a cast off piece of scrap wood, he'd take the time to teach them the importance of sharing, combining resources to get the desired result they wanted, and then he might even cast off another piece just so they could expand their dreams. 

God doesn't expect us to "retire" into a hermit's existence.  He expects us to refocus our "work" into new pursuits which only transition our talents into new opportunities.  We don't work our way into laziness - we work our way into new heights waiting to be explored with a fresh set of eyes!  Just sayin!

Let's get to work!

We are always looking to "gain" something in this life, aren't we?  We may not want to gain a few extra pounds, but we want to gain interest on our savings, or gain the advantage over someone else in a game of tennis.  We look for the "ins" and "outs" of each encounter, knowing full-well the position of power we have when we know how it is we will gain the advantage.  Our minds just calculate things that way - what is it I will gain by being involved in this, giving this to that, or bringing what I have into the mix.  Pretty seldom do we just get up in the morning and say with determined confidence that we will just go about the day "doing" whatever God wants, "giving" wherever he asks us to give, and "moving mountains" for someone else.  We get up, prepare to go off to work, and then plunge headlong into whatever it is we call our "work".  What we fail to recognize is the significance of our work - we see our work as what earns our paycheck, puts food on our table, or keeps our kids clothed in cold winters.  Work is a blessing from God - it is his way of bringing into our lives the special blessing of "doing" what he wants, "giving" ourselves in way he desires, and using us to "move mountains" in his power.  Instead of cursing the work, we should count it as a blessing with many hidden blessings underneath!

What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God’s gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 CEV)

All our hard work - how many times have we bemoaned the end of "all our hard work"? Probably more than one might imagine.  Would we bemoan it if we saw it as a purposeful investment on behalf of the kingdom of God?  Probably not.  Would we bemoan it if we saw it as being fruitful in some way?  Probably not.  Then why do we bemoan it at all?  Simply put, we want life to be easy and when the demands of life present what we call "work", we just don't understand why it has to be so hard.  One thing I have come to appreciate - the days which end well are those where I look back and see the investment of my time was "worth" it.  When I just laze around day after day without any real purpose, I don't feel very fulfilled or satisfied.  When I have accomplished something like the construction of a complicated workbook of data spreadsheets, or come away from a surveyor's review of our facility without any deficiencies, I feel pretty good.  The difference is in the investment I made into the day.  I "worked" my best and I feel good about it!  Why?  If we look at what scripture says, we feel good about ourselves when we are doing what it is we might just think of as a four-letter word: work!

God's gift to us is our work - regardless of what it is.  We might be moms who stay home tending the house, raising the children, and engaging in simple projects which help our families save a little money.  A noble profession!  We could be called to work each morning on a new industrial site, putting our skills and knowledge of building codes into practice, so as to produce a building which is safe, sturdy, and built to standard.  An honorable profession!  We might find ourselves out in the fields, testing soil, irrigating, and tending crops with great care.  A fruitful profession!  We might realize ourselves in the midst of a great storm, waters coming in with such force many will lose all they have gained in this life, but in a moment are rescued from those waters by the skill of our rescue.  A noteworthy profession!  It doesn't matter what we go about doing each day, as long as we find our purpose in the work to be to fulfill what God has directed for our day!  It is his gift to us.  As much as the clothes on our back, the food in our pantry, or the car we drive to and from each destination, our work is his way of blessing us.

We may not fully understand everything which comes across our path in this life, but one thing is for sure - God directs the path of those whose mind is steadfastly considering his purpose and plan.  When our hearts are directed toward him, we find our face is also turned toward him.  When we are face-to-face with him, we also realize the tremendous blessing of being fully in the light of his countenance.  This light guides our actions each day.  In being guided by him, we find even the work of our hands and the strategies of our minds are a blessing magnified in his presence.  Yes, there is much more to life than eating, drinking, and work.  Yet, the significance of these is not lost when we consider the joy of fulfilling what God has called us to engage in each day.  As we find purpose in what he has called us to do, we enjoy the blessings of those tasks - food and drink.  Think about Israel in the wilderness. They were hungry - wandering that desert land and not really able to put down roots long enough to grow their own crops.  So, what did God do?  He sent manna from heaven.  Yet, they were not "off the hook" in this provision - for they had to gather it!  Even in the most divine of provision, there is a little bit of work on our behalf!   

In our work, God often brings us to places of questioning the past and exploring the future. Why?  We learn from the past - we engage in the plan for the future.  The process of "learning" is based upon knowledge we add along the way.  The process of "planning" is both a mixture of preparation and hope.  We take what we come to know from the past, interject what we can into the plan for the future, and place our hope in the outcome being in God's hands.  Yet, we engage in the process - through whatever he calls us to do in what we have come to call "work".  Rather than cursing your work today - why not begin to see it is a place of learning from the past, preparing for the future, and enjoying the present?  Just sayin!