I remember a brother in Christ asking me, “Why do I need to work hard?” We were discussing how to look towards eternal things and he shared about his struggles working for a secular company. In his mind, it had no eternal value. I automatically heard my father’s voice in my mind saying, “any job worth doing is worth doing right.” I consider myself a hard worker, but employers are finding it harder and harder to motivate the younger generation to work. Entertainment and social media are grabbing the attention of young minds, adding to laziness on the job. In today’s culture it is better to be considered an innovator than a hard worker. As a Christian business owner it got me thinking, “Why do I work so hard?”
Whenever I feel like I’ve done a poor job on a project, whether at work or at home, I am reminded of Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Everything we do is for God and His glory. Whether we are picking up the kids from school, cooking dinner, stuck in traffic, or trying to meet a deadline at work, we are called to do it for God. It is easy to do these things for the approval of man. We often seek to please employers, children, and spouses more than we seek to please God. This is a sure-fire path to burn-out, fatigue, and frustration.
Work should be “as for the Lord.” If you are stuck behind a desk, crunching numbers, you are called to do it for the Lord. If you are sweeping the floors and cleaning bathrooms, you are called to do it for the Lord. Even if you are pastoring a church, you are called to do it for the Lord. When you work for the the Lord and His glory, a few things will happen. You will work hard. You will love putting in the extra effort for your Lord and Savior. You will display a Christ-like attitude. No matter the stress level or time crunch, when you are working for God, you will be loving, gracious, and patient. You will also be honest. Honesty and integrity are not always common in the workplace, but these characteristics are foundational in a believer. Finally, others will notice. Christians should be the greatest employees on the planet!
For the last eight years I have been going to same mechanic for my Smog check. Why? Because of Ken. Ken is hard-working, honest, and just pleasant to be around. The other day, at church, I saw Ken there! He explained that he and his wife needed to change churches because of the long commute, so they were checking out our church. Was I surprised to see Ken at church? Absolutely not! He displayed Christ every time I took my car in. He worked for God’s glory and it showed.
So work hard and let your light shine!