A Job for You

"Let me see if I can find you a job"

Those words used to cross my mom's lips occasionally and it meant that I was idle and annoying her or someone else in the immediate vicinity.

I resort to that line quite often with my own children. As a shrewd marketing technique, I like to adjust the phraseology somewhat and call it a "project" rather than a "job" but the response it invokes is nearly always the same.

Do you remember the time-lapsed photography films of flowers bursting into bloom that we saw in grade school?  Well, imagine watching that film in reverse and you can get a mental picture of AA's immediate reaction upon hearing those words.  That's right, his knees quickly lose their stamina as he folds into a whimpering fetal position.

On the other hand, his sister, Ab - who has gained the wisdom of her advanced years - has learned to vanish into thin air.  Before I can even complete my sentence (which- upon reflection- does often take quite a bit of time), she's gone ... leaving behind nothing but maybe a wisp of smoke and some ethereal music.

It wasn't always that way.  In fact I have often prided myself in the work ethic of my children.  There was a time that I could just say "would you like to help Daddy?" and they would immediately pounce on the idea; and in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that they still do help out around the house - even if it is sometimes under protest.

My hope is that they will know that there is intrinsic value to work; and human beings are just better off when they are working.  Even in the beginning, when God created a beautiful garden in which His creatures would dwell - he provided responsibility for the man. 

We sometimes get confused into believing that when Adam sinned, part of the curse earned by his sin was that he had to work.  Actually he was working before sin entered the picture: naming the animals, tending the garden. No, the curse was that work would become difficult.  There would be thorns and thistles that would abound and disrupt the process of growing food. 

Today work is still difficult at times.  The thorns and thistles of workplace conflict have to be untangled; there are the stumps and stones of regulations, taxes and legal compliance that have to be cleared, we deal with the draught of a poor economy or low productivity.

Despite its tribulation, work is still good and it is a blessing from God.  There is something wonderful about being fatigued after a hard day of doing productive work.  Folks used to call it a good kind of "tired".

You may have noticed a new button for the High Calling community which I recently jointed. The High Calling promotes "everyday conversations about work, life and God".  Like me, you may have heard their radio spots talking about the High Calling of work in our daily lives.  This is a growing community of bloggers that recognize God's regard for work.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.                                 Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

Work is a gift from God.  Whether it takes place in a factory, a retail establishment, on a construction site, at a hospital bedside, on a laptop or even at a baby's changing table - good work is honorable and yours has been specifically planned in advance by the Creator Himself! It is part of our Walk and the way we approach it can reflect our relationship with Christ.

Not only that, but since God was deliberate in His actions involving work, we can know that He is still involved in the process - the daily grind: directing, teaching, shining through us!

Maybe He is saying to you, "Let Me see if I can find you a job".