Hard Work

What is the value of work? It seems to me most of us try to avoid this at all cost's. We do anything to put off or avoid spending any energy or as little as we can anyway. The harder a job is the more likely we are to avoid it at all cost's. I know because I am guilty of this too, just ask my wife.

And yet how foolish! My wife's boss has a saying she signs off of each email with. It says "We can do hard work". This to me is inspired.

In today's culture it seems that no one is willing to sacrifice or do hard work. And yet they hold it against those of us who do. To get an education is hard work. You need to sacrifice time with friends and family and often doing things that you would rather do. Like reading a book you want to instead of have to. Math! For most of us is very hard. This is probably why I am not a physician, math has been a very hard subject to me. And yet science has been a very natural, easy subject for me. Go figure!

We need to do a better job of teaching hard work to our youth. Many are mislabeling racism and lack of opportunity as really an unwillingness to do hard work. Many feel that getting a job at McDonald's is somehow beneath them. Or if they are asked to clean a toilet, mop a floor, empty a garbage that they are somehow being singled out and persecuted. This is nonsense. I am 45 years old. Except for the time I was in Junior High and High School during the school year. I have not had more than 6 months cumulative of being unemployed in my life since being 13 years old. Now I gratefully acknowledge the kindness of a loving Heavenly Father in this, still it is also due to my willingness to take any job I could get to take care of myself and my family. I have cleaned many toilets and done worse in my lifetime. I have never felt like something was beneath me. I have acknowledged early in my life that it is no ones business or duty to take care of me or my family, but me.

So much of this has been lost today. It is the Governments job somehow to take care of us if things become hard. My wife has headed up for several years various charity drives and sub for Santa drives at Christmas. My children and I have often helped her with these. It has never stopped amazing me and my wife how many people come to these for help who are driving brand new, better cars than me. Ladies come with manicured finger and toe nails. Expensive hand bags and cell phones. Somehow the logic has been instilled that "we deserve these things, it is our "right" to have them, if this means spending money on them first and then going to the food bank or sub for Santa because I had to have them first over saving, then so be it".

Now we have people who are saying "If I am poor it is the responsibility of the government to take from the rich so it is more even". How about a novel idea. If you don't like being poor, then work hard! Sacrifice to go to school to make a better life. Does this mean you will ever be "rich", NO! But it does mean that you won't be poor!

I am trying to teach this to my youngest son right now. If it is hard, that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't do it. Life is not always fair, in fact it usually isn't. Some people may not have to work very hard to make a living, or may have things handed to them. This is the exception. Most people have to work hard for their money, what ever money they get. Most aren't willing to work HARDER still to move from middle class to rich. It can be done. I want him to learn this lesson.

I love the ad on television that shows a pair of young brothers being told by their father to build a brick wall around their dad's business. This wall was expected to be 6 feet tall and all the way around the business and to be done right. Not sloppy. They sacrificed their whole summer building this wall. While friends went off to play or party, they worked. They worked into the night and sweated during the day. But at the end it was done and done well. It looked beautiful. The father came out and said simply "don't ever tell me you can't do something just because it is hard". What a lesson.

Teach your children to work! To not shy away from hard work. This is one of the most valuable lessons you can teach them. After all when God created the world he "rested" on the seventh day; implying it was WORK to build the earth. Even God needed to work to fulfill his plans.

Stand up! And work hard at what you do and don't accept the notion that because others don't want to the results should be equal.