Work Is a Blessing!

When I was growing up, my mom owned an adult foster home that had eleven residents. This enabled my mother to always be at home when my sister and I returned from school. We helped mom get the meals on the table, wash dishes, help the residents get in bed, wash laundry, and do other chores.

I enjoyed the work and told my mom that I would take over the business after finishing my education. We had a female resident named Florence who enjoyed helping my mom. She knew who wanted coffee and who wanted tea.

She would set the table. Occasionally she would wear her white nurse’s uniform with matching white shoes and order my mother around, thinking she was Florence Nightingale. This made my mother smile and my sister and me giggle.

In the Garden of Eden, even before sin, God’s plan was that Adam and Eve were to tend the garden (Genesis 2:15). Before sin existed, this was not considered hard work but part of the fun of doing things together. I imagine that God came and walked with them, enjoying what they were learning each day. Imagine Adam and Eve showing God all they had done that day—sharing what they learned as they cared for the garden and the animals. I think God may have smiled to Himself as He saw the joy they experienced in their work. God has given us work to do too. In Acts 18:1–4, Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla as a tentmaker. Jesus worked as a carpenter before He started His ministry (Mark 6:3).

God desires us to work and enjoy what He’s created us to do and to find satisfaction in our labor, learning and growing as we serve Him, no matter what our job. But some of us take work to excess. Our society tends to encourage working to the point of burnout, which affects our health and our relationships —sometimes crowding out time to walk and talk with God. Because of this, we may miss out on the blessings that God has in store for us. God gives us work so that we can provide for our families, learn, grow, and be a witness for the people we meet as we share Him and reflect His love and character. Imagine walking with God at the end of each day, talking to Him about your day and job, and seeing Him smile as He hears the stories of all you have learned and how you’ve enjoyed serving Him.

Gyl Moon Bateman