Do you remember that story about the ant and the grasshopper? The ant busied himself all summer gathering food, while the grasshopper fiddled his days away. Winter came and the grasshopper had nothing to eat, while the ant snug in his hill waited for winter to pass.
I am amazed by the observational powers of the ancients. They took time to look, listen, and learn. At least, some of them sought to make something out of their observations. They weren't content to see or hear something, and then go their way. They pondered the meaning of what they saw and heard. They then sought to apply this new knowledge in ways that would enrich their lives and the lives of others.
I believe it was Aesop who told the tale of the Ant and the Grasshopper. The story is rooted in the observations that ants work hard, while grasshoppers sit around making noise and destroying vegetation. Another ancient, Solomon, observed the work ethic of ants. He used the ant as a teaching tool.
He said, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" (Prov. 6:6, ESV). Then he goes on to explain what we can learn from the ant. He states, "Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest" (Prov. 6:7-8, ESV). There are several principles which can be drawn from these verses.
1. Be a self-starter. Ant may serve a queen, but they don't need someone driving them with a whip. The colony needs food, and it must be gathered in. Ants just do what they need to do.
2. Work when it is appropriate. There is a time for work and a time for play. Procrastination is trap that strips life of its joy and purpose.
3. Don't fear hard work. Work isn't a bad thing. When we treat it as a demoralizing act, we fail to see work correctly. Work is a reflection of God's nature. He is the Creator, Sustainer, Provider, etc. All of these title describe some type of work.
4. Work satisfies our cravings. When we work, we are able to get the things we need and want. We may not get as much as we want or all that we want, but hard workers, generally, get what they need.
Solomon urged his reader to consider the ant. Are you like the ant? I'm beginning to fear I more like the grasshopper. I look at all the "busyness" in my life, but wonder where the productivity is. I seem to be always in motion, but I never have anything to show for it.
The good news is that in Christ there is hope. There is time to correct course. If you (or I) have played the grasshopper, we can still consider the ant. We can do all things through Christ who is our strength. These truths apply to both our physical and spiritual life. The discipline that is necessary to succeed in the workplace is necessary to succeed in spiritual development. Friend, look to the ant and be wise.
Showing posts with label Hard Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hard Work. Show all posts
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Choose to Work Hard
"The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor" (Prov. 21:25, ESV).
I have learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks. I realized at some point several months ago that I shifted into auto-pilot. I haven't quite figured out how to change it. I guess that isn't quite true. I know what it will take to change it, but I am afraid to do it. I feel like Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The right course is usually not the easiest course. Sometimes it is full of danger and loneliness. But more than that, it is usually filled with action. In truth, the right course is most usually perpetual action.
The hardest part for some is decision to do. Will I? or Won't I?
The question then becomes: what sort of person am I? Do I want, yet lack the heart to act? Or do I refuse to want because I'm not going to act?
The sluggard or lazy person want, but lack to heart to act. They can't get themselves motivated to do anything. The sluggard is marked by inaction.
I have found in my own life that several things lead me to laziness. Sometimes I lack focus or direction. Other times I lack genuine passion or concern about things. More often than not, I realize that it will take hard work to achieve what I want, and I'm not willing to do it.
I have tried to analyze the why of inaction, but I haven't found the magic bullet. They answer is as complex as the problem. In one venture it seems like the pay off isn't worth the effort. In another, it feels like the risk for failure it just too high.
In the end, I guess what matters is what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want. Do we want to be the kind of person who failed to pursue their dreams and therefore spends the rest of their lives consumed by regrets and what ifs? Or do we want to be the kind of person who looks back on their life and sees a legacy. This proverb calls us to work hard for our dreams. We would be wise to heed the advice.
I have learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks. I realized at some point several months ago that I shifted into auto-pilot. I haven't quite figured out how to change it. I guess that isn't quite true. I know what it will take to change it, but I am afraid to do it. I feel like Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The right course is usually not the easiest course. Sometimes it is full of danger and loneliness. But more than that, it is usually filled with action. In truth, the right course is most usually perpetual action.
The hardest part for some is decision to do. Will I? or Won't I?
The question then becomes: what sort of person am I? Do I want, yet lack the heart to act? Or do I refuse to want because I'm not going to act?
The sluggard or lazy person want, but lack to heart to act. They can't get themselves motivated to do anything. The sluggard is marked by inaction.
I have found in my own life that several things lead me to laziness. Sometimes I lack focus or direction. Other times I lack genuine passion or concern about things. More often than not, I realize that it will take hard work to achieve what I want, and I'm not willing to do it.
I have tried to analyze the why of inaction, but I haven't found the magic bullet. They answer is as complex as the problem. In one venture it seems like the pay off isn't worth the effort. In another, it feels like the risk for failure it just too high.
In the end, I guess what matters is what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want. Do we want to be the kind of person who failed to pursue their dreams and therefore spends the rest of their lives consumed by regrets and what ifs? Or do we want to be the kind of person who looks back on their life and sees a legacy. This proverb calls us to work hard for our dreams. We would be wise to heed the advice.
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Importance of Work
"In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: 'If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat'" (2 Thes. 3:10).
Paul is addressing an ongoing struggle within the church at Thessalonica. Some among them had refused to take responsibility and were living off their hardworking neighbors. Paul was encouraging the church to exercise tough love. It is important to help those in need, but we must make sure our help isn't enabling sinful behavior.
Work shouldn't be a nasty word or even a bad concept for Christians. As we work, we are imaging the Creator. God considers work a good thing, and so should we.
Let me make one point clear: not liking your job, may not be the same as not liking to work. You may have a job with a terrible work environment and lousy compensation. Look for a job more suited to your interests and abilities (God's totally okay with that). However, if you don't like to do anything, you have a bigger problem.
Notice Paul says that people who weren't "willing to work." This expression implies that there is a distinction between willingness and ability. There are some people who aren't able to hold a job, but then there are others who are unwilling.
When we work we imitate God. When we make something, we reflect our connection to our Creator. When we organize and categorize, we imitate the God who forms and fills.
Work is good because it keeps us from keeping other people from working. I like to goof off as much as the next person (and sometimes a bit more than the next person). But if I'm not careful, my failure to work, might mean someone else is distracted.
Work helps us provide for our loved ones. We have a responsibility, as believers, to care for our families. Work is a big part of meeting that responsibility.
Work also enables us to help other people. There are those who cannot help themselves, for one reason or another. We can't help them if we don't have some means.
Without work life lacks purpose. We weren't created to do nothing. We were created to do something.
The key is attitude. What sort of jobs to you enjoy? Do you feel content after a hard day's work? Or are you mad that you have to work at all? Paul, under the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, "No work, no eat!" Do what you can for the glory of God, and rejoice in the opportunity that work gives you.
Paul is addressing an ongoing struggle within the church at Thessalonica. Some among them had refused to take responsibility and were living off their hardworking neighbors. Paul was encouraging the church to exercise tough love. It is important to help those in need, but we must make sure our help isn't enabling sinful behavior.
Work shouldn't be a nasty word or even a bad concept for Christians. As we work, we are imaging the Creator. God considers work a good thing, and so should we.
Let me make one point clear: not liking your job, may not be the same as not liking to work. You may have a job with a terrible work environment and lousy compensation. Look for a job more suited to your interests and abilities (God's totally okay with that). However, if you don't like to do anything, you have a bigger problem.
Notice Paul says that people who weren't "willing to work." This expression implies that there is a distinction between willingness and ability. There are some people who aren't able to hold a job, but then there are others who are unwilling.
When we work we imitate God. When we make something, we reflect our connection to our Creator. When we organize and categorize, we imitate the God who forms and fills.
Work is good because it keeps us from keeping other people from working. I like to goof off as much as the next person (and sometimes a bit more than the next person). But if I'm not careful, my failure to work, might mean someone else is distracted.
Work helps us provide for our loved ones. We have a responsibility, as believers, to care for our families. Work is a big part of meeting that responsibility.
Work also enables us to help other people. There are those who cannot help themselves, for one reason or another. We can't help them if we don't have some means.
Without work life lacks purpose. We weren't created to do nothing. We were created to do something.
The key is attitude. What sort of jobs to you enjoy? Do you feel content after a hard day's work? Or are you mad that you have to work at all? Paul, under the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, "No work, no eat!" Do what you can for the glory of God, and rejoice in the opportunity that work gives you.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Fear of Failure
"In all toil there is a profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty" (Prov. 14:23).
The world is full of opportunity for those who seize the moment. However, many people never reach for the "brass ring," as I have heard it called, because they are afraid they will never reach it. But is never reaching the brass ring really such a terrible thing? I mean, the reality is that by not attempting to reach it, one has already accepted defeat, and thus, guaranteed that he will never reach it.
Fear of failure is a terrible master. It continually berates its servants for thinking that they can accomplish anything, pounds hope from their hearts and heads, and then leaves them immersed in their phobia. By not doing anything, one has already failed. Is living with the regret of what could have been easier than living with the regret of what wasn't? Is there not some consolation in having tried that doesn't exist for those who never tried?
This proverb reminds us that all toil is profitable. It isn't just that when we work we get money, but that in effort there is reward. Sometimes, it is success in the shape of attaining a dream. Sometimes, the reward is a lesson on patience or perseverance. Wish and wanting and talking are not rewarding. They're empty. Proverbs 14:23 informs us that it is worth the effort to pursue a dream with hard work and determination.
Let us not settle for "what could have been," without first giving everything we have to see could be with a little more effort, another call, one more letter. When every avenue of hope has been exhausted, when only answer to our persistent praying is no, when every door is shut tight in our face, then, and only then, should we consider moving on. Until then we need to toil with all our might trusting God will reward us in the way he deems best.
The world is full of opportunity for those who seize the moment. However, many people never reach for the "brass ring," as I have heard it called, because they are afraid they will never reach it. But is never reaching the brass ring really such a terrible thing? I mean, the reality is that by not attempting to reach it, one has already accepted defeat, and thus, guaranteed that he will never reach it.
Fear of failure is a terrible master. It continually berates its servants for thinking that they can accomplish anything, pounds hope from their hearts and heads, and then leaves them immersed in their phobia. By not doing anything, one has already failed. Is living with the regret of what could have been easier than living with the regret of what wasn't? Is there not some consolation in having tried that doesn't exist for those who never tried?
This proverb reminds us that all toil is profitable. It isn't just that when we work we get money, but that in effort there is reward. Sometimes, it is success in the shape of attaining a dream. Sometimes, the reward is a lesson on patience or perseverance. Wish and wanting and talking are not rewarding. They're empty. Proverbs 14:23 informs us that it is worth the effort to pursue a dream with hard work and determination.
Let us not settle for "what could have been," without first giving everything we have to see could be with a little more effort, another call, one more letter. When every avenue of hope has been exhausted, when only answer to our persistent praying is no, when every door is shut tight in our face, then, and only then, should we consider moving on. Until then we need to toil with all our might trusting God will reward us in the way he deems best.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)