Work

I’m writing this article nearly a month before it will be published.  By the end of May more progress will have been made. But today, as I sit at my desk, looking over my computer monitor, I am watching block layers at work on our new building. Our church is building a new social hall and kitchen, and it is exciting to see the work being done.

            Many years ago I worked on a construction crew myself.  I was not allowed to lay blocks. It was my job to keep the skilled block layers supplied with blocks and “mud.”  I drove the “one-wheeled truck” filled with the materials they needed to do their jobs.

            As I pushed that wheelbarrow in the hot summer sun, I was motivated to study and do my work to get my college degree.  I only worked construction in the summer and over Christmas break. I knew that God had called me to be a pastor, and so my job was simply a means to help me complete my education. 

            I learned so many things over the three summers I worked for Mr. Cash. I learned to work well with others, even those who did not hold my beliefs.  There were a couple of guys who called me, “Preacher Boy,” and not in a complimentary fashion. I learned to work hard.  I learned the value of a paycheck. I learned the simple discipline of getting up every day, going to work, and staying with the job for the full day.  I also learned a few skills in carpentry, electricity, and plumbing that have saved me a few dollars through the years. 

            Working construction in the summer was a hard job. It was physical labor.  Being a pastor does not require the physical toll that carpentry and masonry did. But it can also be a hard job.  In fact, there are not many jobs out there that are not hard in their own way.  I even imagine that baseball players sometimes wished they were doing something else.

            I am reminded that the Bible says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God…”  God has called us all to different tasks. There are no unimportant jobs in the kingdom of God. Whatever you are doing now, even if it is retirement, do your work as if you are working for the Lord. The truth is that you really are!