Pride in Working

Pride in Working

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

Labor Day weekend has come around too quickly for various reasons.  One of the reasons being is that it denotes the end of summer.  Another reason is that it means the beginning of another school year for little ones in kindergarten or older ones going off to college (such as our granddaughter’s first   year away to college).

Labor Day began in the late 1900’s to honor the workers for the contributions that have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.  Today in the USA, 41% of working age people are not working and 1 out of 3 of those don’t want to work.  This is a very poor outlook for this country if something doesn’t change.

I grew up in a time where people were proud of being a part of the work force.  During the ‘great depression’, there was no work and people were having a very hard time just to survive.  When it was over and jobs started to become available, they jumped at the chance to work.  I was taught to grow up having pride in what ever job I would have. 

I never forgot what I was taught and through the years where I worked, I gave it the best I could. I always got promotions wherever I worked and had a successful career.  This was my secret; I took on my job as though I owned the company and wanted it to be the best.  I knew I would never be rich and famous, but I felt good about it. As the years went by I taught my children that working was an honorable thing and to take pride in what they did.

The Apostle Paul set a prime example for working.  In 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 he said this, “nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. Not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.”   Work is the right thing in God’s eyes for us to do.

God has chosen to bless those who work with all honesty.  Being dishonest in your work ethics will never bring you any gain.  Proverbs 13:11 tells us that “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”   Those who work hard and are honest in all they do will increase financially.

We can go back in history to the time of Adam and Eve.  They had it made and then made the mistake thinking they knew more than God did; first Eve and then Adam.  “You have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; ‘in toil’ you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”   This is the beginning of labor caused by man’s disobedience and still holds true today. 

The Apostle Paul sums it up this way in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”  For the 1 out of 3 people in our country who choose not to work, should they receive the food and helps they get from the government?  I have heard people make remarks about getting more with government aids than if they worked.  That’s a terrible attitude. 

Years ago I attended a workshop that had people out of work, but wanted to work, be tested for different skills.  I remember one woman, when asked, said she really liked to sew.  She went out looking for a job where she could sew and later on opened her own shop for ‘alterations’ and more.  A man said that he like to garden and work in his yard.  He got hired by a landscaping company and he used to work in a factory. Most of us have skills we never think about that could become a great job.

Don't lay around waiting for a job to fall in your lap.  If you want some pride in your life, get up and go to work.  You may think some jobs are beneath you, but you could still hold up your head and work.  I know of a young man some years ago began working in a ‘fast food’ place.  Today he owns a very large group of ‘fast food’ places; the same kind he used to work in.  With God all things are possible!