Editor’s Note: Hard to believe we’re already more than a week into a new year … and a new decade! If you’re like many of us, the New Year finds you trying to establish good habits in yourself and in your family. We hope this post, from the early days of our blog, will inspire you to think about the importance of everyday tasks in a new way.
My first paying job was babysitting two little boys the summer after I completed seventh grade. My hours were 7AM to 6PM, and I was paid $5 per day. My mom gave me her working-hard-brings-rewards lecture: “Now, Laura Ann, you’re not just there to take care of those little boys. Their mama is a working woman, so she doesn’t have time to keep up that house like she would like. If there are dishes from last night’s supper, you wash ‘em up. If there’s laundry in the basket, you do it. When she gets home, you make sure her house is picked up and the carpet has been vacuumed.”
You can’t imagine my delight when my employer drove me home on Friday and wrote my check for $30 instead of $25, adding, “My husband said you were doing such a good job taking care of the house and the boys that we should pay you extra.”
I remember thinking, “Wow! A 20% bonus!” (Perhaps this was an early sign that this rising eighth grader would grow up to be a CPA!)
Even more important than the money was the life lesson: hard work pays off. My parents were right. They may have not quoted Proverbs 14:23, but they taught me the truth it conveys:
All hard work brings a profit…
Thanks to the example of my parents and the chores they assigned my siblings and me, I was blessed to be raised with a strong work ethic. This trait has not only affected me professionally, but also impacted how I do missions and ministry. It framed how I managed my home, raised my own children, and invested in my marriage.
It would be hard to overstate the value of raising our children to work hard. It fosters self-confidence and commitment. It repels a spirit of entitlement. It stirs up a heart to engage – to see a need and jump in to meet it.
Our goal in raising children is first and foremost to see them commit their lives to Jesus Christ – to confess their sin, call on Him for salvation, and then devote their lives to bringing Him glory. I’m convinced that part of bringing Him glory is being faithful to use what we have to serve Him. We are expected to be good stewards of what He has provided. Raising responsible human beings in a culture that teaches entitlement, selfishness, and materialism requires intention and deliberate action. Here are some work ethic points to ponder and pray over:
- Start Early
Even a toddler can learn the habit of picking toys up and putting them where they go. A 4-year-old can help sort laundry by color, and a 6-year old can pull weeds.
- Set up Routines
We don’t need a checklist to remind us to brush our teeth – it’s just what we do automatically. Chore charts have a time and place, but encourage your kids to pitch in as a matter of habit. Carrying plates from table to counter after a meal, putting shoes and coats away when coming home, and placing dirty clothes in the hamper can become routine.
- Teach by Example
One of the great things about having children is the opportunity it provides for us as parents to start over. Even if you weren’t raised to work hard (or exercise, read, serve or practice any other good habit), you can cultivate new habits alongside your children.
- Be Intentional
Each birthday can be the time for re-evaluation and new responsibilities (as well as privileges). A six-year-old may feed the cat, but a 16-year-old can mow the grass or trim the hedges.
- Cultivate Clarity
Make your expectations clear. Instead of saying, “clean your room,” provide a list of what that entails: all flat surfaces free of clutter and dusted, bed made, nothing stuffed under the bed that shouldn’t be there, laundry picked up, toys put away, etc. Make up an acronym such as FBDF (Flat, Bed, Door, Floor). Flat represents the dresser, desk, or any other furniture in the room. Door prompts a look at the closet.
- Demo
In August before beginning each new school year, we had “Bathroom Boot Camp” at our house. I lined them up and demonstrated what cleaning a bathroom looked like. We timed it. I wanted them to see it takes little time to do a job well, and to see what a job well done actually looks like.
- Don’t EXPECT if you don’t INSPECT
Check up on them. Quality counts. Like us, our children are human, and the temptation to shirk is always lurking if we aren’t looking.
- Keep Expectations Reasonable
You can’t expect a 4-year-old’s bed-making job to look like the 14-year-old’s.
- Make it Fun
Put on some upbeat music as you sweep, mop, fold, dust, etc. If the house is cluttered, set the timer for a 5-minute pick-up – race to see how much can be accomplished in only 5 minutes. - Experience the Joy
A wise person once said, “The days go by slow, but the years go by fast.” Anticipate the joy of seeing your child living as a responsible, mature adult – serving the Lord and being a good steward of his time, talent, and treasure.
Let the Word do the work. Pray God’s words back to Him, as you cultivate a strong work ethic in your child:
Sunday – Genesis 2:15
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Lord, because work was given before the fall, surely this means it was intended to be a blessing. I pray my child would embrace the work you have for him, that he would enjoy it, and that he would reap the rewards that come from his faithfulness.
Monday—Proverbs 10:5
“He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”
I pray my child would have discernment to not only do the right thing, but at the right time. God, give him wisdom and a solid work ethic.
Tuesday – Proverbs 12:24
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.”
Lord, I pray my child would be diligent and work hard. I ask you, God, to prepare him to serve in a position of leadership where he can lead others to serve and honor You.
Wednesday – I Corinthians 10:31
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Jesus, I pray my child’s WHY for all he does would be to bring you glory.
Thursday – Philippians 4:13
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Jesus, I ask that the diligent work habits cultivated year by year in my child’s life would empower him with courage to step out and attempt new challenges, knowing You are his source of strength.”
Friday, — Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Jesus, whether my child serves as a plumber or a professor, a salesman or a sailor, a minister or a medic, I pray he would know he serves you. Stir up his heart to live on mission.
Saturday – II Thessalonians 3:10b
“If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
I pray against a spirit of entitlement in my child’s life. Fill him with a commitment to provide for himself and his family.
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LOVE THIS!!!! Thank you.