THERE’S NO FUN LIKE HARD WORK

“The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden 
to work it and watch over it”
(Genesis 2:15 HCSB).

My father had many “sayings.” This was one of them. And he believed it. He loved work. I think he was the most hardworking man I have ever seen in my life. He was never happier than when he was working.

Do you love work? When I was a child, I used to think that God gave work as part of the curse! But of course, that’s a lie. God introduced work at the very beginning. As soon as God created the garden home, He put the man in it to work and guard it. The Hebrew word “avad” for work means “to serve, till, labor, to make weary.” That sounds like hard work.

Work Releases Creativity

Physical work is a blessing. It releases creativity. It actually precedes creativity. As we work, we think of better ways of doing things. More efficient. More ingenious. And then of course, as we think of these things, we get involved in more work. And that releases more creativity. Isn’t that exciting?

Let’s embrace work with a joyful and exciting attitude. Let’s have the right confession. Do you ever say, “I love work.”? I love to say these words.

Get your children to love work. This is a very important habit to instill in them while they are young. It breaks my heart to see lazy children who don’t want to work. They haven’t been trained. We must train our children to work. Not by nagging them. Not by yelling at them to stop being lazy. Not by punishing them. But by encouraging them. By thinking of ways to show them how to make it fun.

Work Releases Human Dignity

Work is part of human dignity. Work is an expression of the image of God. He is a Creator and therefore He works. After resting on the seventh day, He began working again. He created the Garden of Eden and then He planted a garden. Yes, God, the ruler of the universe, prepared the soil and put His hands right into the soil and planted (Genesis 2:8)! Some people think they are better than God and they would rather not get their hands dirty. Proverbs 12:11 (CEB) says: “Those who work their land will have plenty to eat, but those who engage in empty pursuits have no sense.”

Jesus said: “My Father is always working, and so am I” (John 5:17).

Work is Holy

God looks upon all work as holy, whether it is sacred or secular. Working in your home—scrubbing toilets, changing diapers, vacuuming, preparing meals, and washing dishes are just as sacred as the pastor preaching on Sunday. We often think of the priests as holy men of God. But the majority of them were butchers, slaughtering beasts and cutting them up all day long. They were tough and I am sure had well developed muscles. Others were bakers, cleaners, and gatekeepers are the temple doors (yes, they were bouncers!). And they were all holy and anointed for these “sacred” tasks.

Work is Worship

Another meaning of the word “avad” means “to worship.” Work is worship to God. When we do it with a willing and joyful spirit, we are actually worshipping God because He created us in His image to work! As you are busy working in your home, you are worshipping all day long.

Are you getting excited about work? Gather your children around and remind them how God created work for our blessing. It is holy and sacred. And when they do their chores with a willing heart, they are worshipping God. And if they try to do them to the best of their ability, God will show them better and quicker ways of doing them. And they’ll have more time for play!

I love work, don’t you?

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

www.aboverubies.org

PRAYER:

“Dear Father, Thank You for showing me that You have given work as a gift to my life. It is Your blessing to me— physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Help me to always work with a joyful and enthusiastic attitude. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

I love work. It gets things done and makes things happen! It makes the world go round.