Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men…
Colossians 3:23
It would be difficult to overstate the blessings that come to those who endeavor to work hard. Proverbs 14:23 reminds us that, “All hard work brings a profit…” and the Proverbs 31 lady was called “blessed” for (among other things) her refusal to “eat the bread of idleness…” (Proverbs 31:27-28).
While we may not all have an aptitude for math, be a gifted writer, or a natural athlete, we can all choose—and learn—to work hard.
Ask any employer, teacher, or volunteer coordinator, “Which would you rather have on your team?“
- A gifted, but lazy, person?
- A person of average intelligence with a strong work ethic?
Send me a hard worker every time!
As mothers, we know not all children are equally gifted academically, athletically, musically, or ______ly (fill in your own adverb). We don’t always have the resources to hire the best tutors or send them to the best camps. But the playing field is level in an area that can propel them forward for success: we can train them to work hard.
While some of us may naturally take to work and even enjoy the sense of accomplishment it brings, most of us in our flesh may gravitate to laziness. Like all character refining, this is a process. We keep at it until it becomes a habit.
Maturity may bring on a greater sense of appreciation for and commitment to hard work. Life will teach us the lesson that Proverbs lays out, “All hard work brings a profit…” That profit may not only be financial; it may also be a well-managed home, good stewardship of time and resources, a disciplined life, time to invest in others, and the blessings of peace and joy that come with order.
While life will, most likely, teach those lessons to our children eventually, we can certainly help them skip up the learning curve to success by cultivating a strong work ethic in them. And like all valuable lessons, the familiar adage is correct:
They are more caught than taught.
Are you ready to up your work ethic game? Are you ready to stop thinking, planning, and talking about it, and instead jump in and DO IT? If so, we think our ‘Do It’ List can help. This simple, one-page checklist includes daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that can help us transform our clutter-and-chaos into order-and-peace … in just a few weeks.
Our regular readers are familiar with our ‘Do It’ List, but we want to welcome all our new subscribers who have signed up at this year’s conventions and online—thank you for joining us! We pray this list is a blessing to you and your family, and that it brings peace and joy to your life!
You can find tips and ideas for some of the daily, weekly, and monthly chores by perusing previous months’ blogs here.
We offer a version already populated with suggested tasks, as well as a blank option you can tailor to your own needs. You might want to consider using the blank list as a tool for child training, too.
Whether we are grading math, cleaning bathrooms, or de-cluttering a closet, may we all determine to be good stewards of our blessings, train our children in a strong work ethic (and also model it for them!) and see that our hard work glorifies our great God!
Download your June 2019 ‘Do It’ List …
and be ready to control the chaos as summer begins!
