What? Enjoy work?!?! TGIF Right?

Just on the off chance you haven’t noticed, it’s Friday everyone.  OK! Everybody UP! Rise and Shine!
Have you heard someone say something like this? I have. Just recently, in fact.  “What do you mean, enjoy my job? Work isn’t supposed to be fun.  That’s why they call it work. Work is what you endure so you can enjoy the times when you’re not working,”  Well that’s just crazy. God created the world and all that is in it and I’m pretty sure work is part of creation.  While I admit some jobs are more fun than others, there is something to enjoy about every job.  Sometimes we have to turn over a lot of sod and throw out a bunch of rocks to find the hidden treasure, but there’s where the toil comes in.
I believe it’s Abraham Lincoln who said, “People are just about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” I’m certain he was advising on how we adjust our attitudes as we encounter our days, and we all work. If you’re headed out to work or if you work from home, whether you stay at home as a mom or are retired, maybe you’re an entrepreneur or in commissioned sales, there is something to like about what you do. If you can’t think of anything, think of it as buried treasure and start digging. If you’re struggling with that idea, go take a peek at your bank statement – ah.  There it is.  You get paid for what you do. Deuteronomy 33:11 says ”Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands.” I know that’s my prayer every day.  “Lord, let me do my job like I’m doing it all for you.”  Is it fun like going to a circus? Bad analogy.  Depending on the day we could all claim to work at the circus.  The point though, is that work is a necessary part of living. Regardless of chosen vocation or the path we’re on, we all do work. And we all have attitude.
Here’s a challenge for all of us.  When you begin your day – today or tomorrow or the next day – search for the good in it.  Some will have to turn over a lot of rocks before the good parts are discovered. Trust me on this.  If you search, you will find slivers of enjoyment, but remember they might be deeply hidden under a bunch of rocks and weeds.
Ready for today? Here’s a buried treasure straight out of Ecclesiastes 5: 18-20 (Contemporary English Version) “ What is the best thing to do in the short life that God has given us? I think we should enjoy eating, drinking, and working hard. This is what God intends for us to do. Suppose you are very rich and able to enjoy everything you own. Then go ahead and enjoy working hard—this is God’s gift to you. God will keep you so happy that you won’t have time to worry about each day.
Don’t you love that? At the time it was written work was hard, it was toilsome. The people couldn’t call the nearest contractor with heavy lifting equipment. They couldn’t get out their cell phone and order dinner to go. You know those co-workers in the next cubes over from yours? In the days of Ecclesiastes people worked in teams – I mean really worked side by side, without walls to accomplish what needed to be done. Think about that and let it sink in for a minute.  That was then. This is now. Now is better, but the words spoken way back thousands iof years ago, still apply today. We can be happy (is we choose to be happy) in our toil because it is a gift from God.
Ready now?  Let’s do this!

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