Work, work, work

Work. It is a necessary evil. One in which we need to survive. We need the ability to take care of ourself and our family. But sometimes work gets in the way. It gets in the way of the family we are trying to protect and serve. It gets in the way of our happiness and joy and peace. It even gets in the way of our health.

How do we balance it? How do we balance what needs to be done in order to pay the bills with what we need to do to keep our sanity?

Solomon was one of the wisest men to ever live. And for all his wisdom, he was a hot mess. He accomplished so many things, solved so many problems and had so many women. Read Ecclesiastes. Many believe that this book was written by him. It almost sound a depressing when you read it. He was searching for true meaning to what he was doing.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 – “And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” This verse stopped me in my tracks. The root of why we do so much of what we do – to keep up with the Jones. Or to keep up with the competition.

Why? Why do we kill ourself and our family for that? You cannot take one single thing with you when you die. It is all gone. Left for someone else who did not work for it to take it over. (Ecclesiastes 2:17-23) Crazy, right?

So how do you work and work with the right attitude? How do you desire to do your best without trying to keep up with someone else?

Colossians 3:23,24 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for The Lord, not for men, I since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward. It is The Lord Christ you are serving.”

Hmm…

It is your heart. Your heart is the key in all of this. Why are you working? Why are you striving? Why are you awake at night thinking about work? Is it for you or for God? I know you want to be successful. I know you want to do your best. But I also know that you want to serve The Lord. I also know that you want to be with your family, awake. It is tough. It is hard to let go and let Him lead. It is hard to trust Him to take care of it all. Does that mean you sit down and do nothing? No, but it does mean that you allow things to not be perfect all the time. God is not a fairy that grants wishes right now. He is a “work-in-progress” kind of being. Things aren’t always pretty as you work to complete it. Look at a house being built. Does that million dollar mansion look that way before the windows are in? Nope. Sometimes it is ugly.

Princess, or prince, stop working for yourself. Stop trying to keep up with someone else. Solomon said it is meaningless. Why do something meaningless? Don’t stop doing your best. Always do your best. But don’t be afraid to let things be ugly now and then. You don’t have to keep things perfect all the time. Life is too short for sleepless nights spent worrying about problems that you can’t take care of at 2 AM. We are not working for man or manna. We are to be working for The Lord. “It is The Lord Christ you are serving.” (Vs. 24b) Remember that. Hold tight to it.