Work Ethic

I like to think of how I do my work as my "mark". It says something about me. If I consistently only washed half of the dishes, or left the laundry in the washer for days, you would get the impression that I didn't care too incredibly much about doing a good job. On the other hand, if you walked into my kitchen and saw the sink and counters clean and tidy, or into the laundry room and saw the laundry washed, dried, folded, and waiting for its owners to come and put it away, you would rightly think I cared about doing my best work. This is a bit tricky for me, as I have truly struggled with being a perfectionist in the past.     (Here is one thing you need to know about perfectionists: a person who is a perfectionist wants to do it perfectly the first time, and if they can't, they will tend to just not do whatever it is. So to say that a perfectionist's home is perfect all the time is a lie. You may be surprised by how many "messy" people are truly perfectionists that are overwhelmed with the task before them! Yet, it can be overcome when we have a biblical work ethic! )

Ok...back to my post. I care about doing my best work. Our house is by no means perfectly clean, but i have learned to be content with tidy and "lived-in". We have 4 kids and 2 dogs, so "lived-in" is doable. And yes, this was a hard adjustment for me! We do the best job we can.

I have a couple verses from the Bible that have long been go-to verses for me regarding how and why I do my work, and I share them with our children often to remind them too. Here they are:

Colossians 3:22-24:  Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.  {emphasis mine}

Ephesians 6:7-8: With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

Both of these sets of verses directs our service to be done for the Lord, and as for the Lord. What a great focus for our serving. With these truths to guide us, you would think we would always do our work with excellence, giving glory to God. Unfortunately, we don't. We grumble. We complain. We do it, but we want everyone to know how unhappy we are about having to do it. Or, worse, we do it so that we can get noticed. We do it so that we can receive thanks and recognition. Teaching our children the important truths here is challenging when we ourselves don't live them out. 

So, from these two passages, how are we to do our work? What should our work ethic look like? Well, I see a few things here: 

• We are to do our work heartily (in an enthusiastic and energetic way; completely or fully {Merriam Webster}).

• We are to do our work unto the Lord. I often wonder how different my attitude would be if Christ Jesus was standing right there next to me. And then i remember ~ He is.

• We are to do our work NOT as men-pleasers, but with a sincere heart (sincere: free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings. {from google}) Ouch.

• We are to do our work as fearing the Lord. Matthew Henry has this to say about it: "Those who fear God, will be just and faithful when from under their master's eye, because they know they are under the eye of God." 

• We are to do our work with good will. I think of this as doing it with the right attitude, with a joy-filled heart. Doing our work out of gratitude for all that Christ Jesus has done for us. And yes, this even applies to the tenth load of laundry this week. 

• We are to do our work knowing that, even if no one here recognizes or thanks us, Christ sees and will give us the reward of our inheritance. We will "receive back from the Lord". What a motivation for our service! 

Wow! Take a look at that again. We have every reason to be joy-filled workers! I pray that as you go on this week, that these verses can encourage you to press on and keep serving where ever it is that God has placed you; whether in the corporate world or the home, the church or the factory, in your school work or in your work place.  When people see the way we do our work, if we are doing it from a biblical work ethic, they just may want to know why we care so much... which can wonderfully lead to an opportunity to share the hope of Christ that we have. 

May God be glorified in our serving! 

The Depth of Letters

 A friend sent me a letter John Newton had written to a woman who was struggling. It was amazing. It caused me to want to read other letters he had written. Here is a great website with some of his letters for you to read. They are worth the time, even if you just read a few here and there. I read a letter he wrote to a fellow minister about godly church members. It was an excellent reminder to keep pressing on in Christ as a member of a local church, and that a member living a life committed to Jesus Christ is an encouragement to the pastor.

HERE is a link to 151 of his poems/hymns, which are also worth the time to read, bit by bit.

As I read through a few of his letters yesterday, it stood out to me how every line, every word that he wrote was purposeful. His letters do not begin "Hi! How are you?" No. They start off deep, intense, and personal. He is intentional to take every bit of space on the paper he is writing on to turn the reader to Christ. To the reality of life in this world. To the blessedness of perseverance, or to the desperate need of repentance. He seems to fear no one in his writing. Newton was bold for Christ.

As I read through some of his letters, a deep desire came over me to make my own words count. To be intentional in my letters. To be bold for Christ. To be intentional with my spoken words. Recently we heard a sermon at our church that reminded us of the need to live godly lives. I listened to two other messages by different preachers on the same passage to fill it out a little for myself, and the main point i heard? EVERYTHING we do while we traverse this planet matters. Everything. Every word spoken. Every act of love. Every sacrifice made for Christ. Every time we say NO to sin. Every time we choose self-control (by the power of His Spirit) over blowing our top. Every time we make a conscious choice not to gossip. Every time we fold another.load.of.laundry.  Every time we get up early to have those precious moment with our Saviour. Everything matters. Everything.


John Newton seemed to understand this. His letters reflect it. His poetry and his hymns proclaim it. In the midst of his own pain and difficulties, the Gospel shines forth as the most beautiful Light, calling us all to fix our gaze on Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfector of our faith.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Colossians 3:23-24

Mark

NOTE TO SELF: this is a longer entry!! more like a "bob" than a "bit" (heehee)

Thursday, June 6, 2013 marked an important day in the life of our family: it was the last day, Lord willing, that any of our children would enter or leave a public school as a student. We are now home-educating all of them. Our 1st grader attended public school this year, because she got the teacher we requested. This is a teacher who loves our family, and is incredibly special to us.

Today also marked the last day my daughter would get on and off the school bus.

enter: Mark.

I don't know how long Mark has driven the bus. I know for the last four years he has driven my kids to school. Last year he had 3 out of 4 of them. This year, just one. And let me tell you, this little one he had this year was scared to go on the bus without her siblings. Her fears were soon relieved, as Mark looked out for her and always smiled at her and her friend. This was an answered prayer from this little Mamma's heart.

Mark carries precious cargo every day to school and back again. He is also carried by that precious cargo, in their heart, at least the precious cargo at this stop. Last week, we didn't have Mark driving the bus. We had a sub. And when my little one heard the sub saying to someone that Mark may not be back before the end of the year, well, her little heart just broke. That evening she just cried. yes... cried. Her little heart was so sad that she wouldn't get to see him. See what i mean? The precious cargo he carries also carries him. The next day, I asked the sub if Mark would be back. She said she thought so, that there had been a death in the family. Immediately my heart grieved for him.

This past Monday, Mark was back!! Oh happy day! Joy of joys for our precious cargo! We had prayed about it, and God answered. I told Mark that my little one was so happy! I told him that she had cried when she thought she wouldn't see him again. I can't explain the look on his face... touched, i guess.

It was the next morning, Tuesday, that Mark motioned for me to come to the bus, and he shared with me that his step-son had passed away. He was only 30. He knew i had lost my Dad recently, and that i would understand. The other mom at the stop (a friend of mine) and I asked if we could do anything... bring a meal, anything. No... but thanks. Well, of course we sprang in to action anyway, and picked up a gift card from Noodles, and a card. This morning we were able to give it to him. I got a picture of him with our girls, and he  shed a tear, i do believe, which in turn, made us Moms get emotional!

It really got me thinking today. Mark has NO IDEA how much he means to us. That he is so much more than a bus driver! I decided to write him a letter of thanks, expressing my gratitude, though words seemed to fall short. I won't share the details of the letter, though i did share the one source of all comfort as he and his wife grieve, Jesus Christ.

 It really got me thinking though, about how many of us just do what we need to do and think "i am just a bus driver... home-maker... or cashier... teacher... or_______." May I be one to tell you just how much you may mean to even ONE person. And that is something that could last into eternity. When i saw just how much Mark meant to my daughter and her friend, i was deeply touched. This one man has made an impression on my girl that will last a lifetime.

Colossians 3:23-24 states:  And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 

May all we do, even if we think it is unimportant, be done for His glory, fame, and honor alone.