Proverbs 13: Whistle While You Work

"The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." Proverbs 13:4

"Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honored." Proverbs 13:18

Work, work, work. We all have to do it. Many of us hate having to do it. The cycle of requiring money to live, but having to make money through work to sustain yourself can seem endless. Even those great at saving money (or at the far end of the spectrum, those stingy with money) have likely had to work for it at some point. The Bible is actually pretty open with us about this concept.

Sitting around wishing that we had things to make us happy, but not actually going out and working to earn money to purchase things, is considered unwise based on our verse above. I'm not so sure working to buy earthly things is always the best use either, but let's be honest with ourselves--we all do it.

When I worked for DCI, I used to be required to go outside and pull weeds and other random yard work. Why they couldn't hire an outside company to do it, I'll never know. The running joke in my mind was that I was a phlebotomist, but I could put day laborer on my resume under skills that I learned while at DCI. There were some days that I hated this. More often than not though, being outside in the fresh air, left to my own devices and pace, it was actually quite nice.

I used to have headphones and my phone and listen to the Word of Promise Audio Bible while pulling weeds and cleaning out the freezer fans. It actually gave me some nice time to connect with God. Another plus was that I didn't have to deal with the individuals who daily made my life Hell there. It was my own personal escape, and no one else wanted to do it because it's manual labor--not something fun to volunteer for.

It turns out I was pretty good at it too. I used to joke by saying that as good of a Christian as I want to be, if I fall short at least God is preparing me now to be Heaven's gardener. I had rough days too, but again, as I think back, I really learned the value of a hard day's work.

There was one day I spent 5 or 6 hours picking up trash because the parking lot was packed full of it. Another day I spent it chopping dead branches off of trees. Sidenote: I could've been a Lumberjack--I'm very good with a handheld axe.

One day, I stumbled onto a great verse about what a Christian's position on working should be.

"And whatesoever ye do,  do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23  KJV

"Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man,since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism." Colossians 3:23-25

I like NIV translation in this case. The context is regarding slaves and their masters. I think it is still applicable. Maybe you have a tough work situation. I had terrible situations arising all the time at DCI. Some were my fault, some the fault of others. It often seemed there WAS favoritism contrary to the Biblical teaching. The point to remember is that as a Christian in a work environment that may not believe the same, this verse is particularly applicable. If someone is doing you wrong at work, you have to trust the the LORD will bring you through it. If anything the favoritism would be on your side from Christ since you are one of His.

After learning that verse and memorizing it, I used to repeat it to myself on days when work was just not making sense. Like I said, as much as I liked working outside some days, there were others where I just wanted to do the job I was hired for. Phlebotomist/Day Laborer is an odd combination--but I think I learned good lessons from it. There is a strange peace when it's just you and God working hard together by the sweat of your brow. It feels good at the end of the day.

It is expected we should work to earn a living. There is nothing in the Bible that says we can just chill and expect money to come flowing in. I am finally in the greatest work situation of my life. I get to speak with people all day about products that I love to sell--products that I would be comfortable buying. It's a new position knowing that everything I'm saying to them is true because I would turn around and do the exact same thing given the same position.

It is not necessarily serving the kingdom directly, but it gives me time to think between calls. Sometimes time to get lost in thought -which on good days leads me to spiritual insight. I have a desk, a chair, a computer. I'm not outside. I am finally in a state of rest, though I am still working. This is a better fit for me.

Hand me an axe, some gloves, a shovel and some trash bags and I can be a good weed puller. That doesn't mean I want to do it for a living. I think for now, I will continue to count my blessings with this position that was absolutely from God. As in...there is not a doubt in my mind. I had to struggle to get here. Even after getting first word that I had the job, He threw a curve ball my way to test my faith in Him. You have to really have some faith when God brings you to saying you are hired for a job, only to tell you 10 minutes later that they are still 99.9% sure but it will be another day before it's official. If that isn't the hardest day of anticipation, I don't know what is. I knew though that He wouldn't bring me that far only to pull the rug out. And so I believed, and the next day, I got the official word.

It's amazing how much I went through personally at DCI. I honestly learned so much about myself and life in general. I couldn't always see it at the time, but in retrospect, I have matured and grown as a Christian and a man after that experience. God will not give you more than you can handle. If you are struggling with a job right now, stick it out. Run the race, and pray daily that He help you to something better. It won't be on your time--(2.5 years in my case)--but the reward is sweet.

Keep the faith--and work as if working for the LORD