It's amazing to consider the diversity in the talents, abilities and gifts we all possess personally and professionally. |
One of the realities of homeownership is, to borrow the profound
words of the late comedienne Gilda Radner’s character, Roseanne Roseannadanna,
“it’s always something!”
In recent years we’ve had our kitchen and bathrooms
remodeled, roof replaced, new windows and siding installed, and recently needed
to have a new concrete driveway poured. Since I have a mechanical IQ of about
minus-2, all I can do is watch with amazement as craftsmen do their thing,
performing work I wouldn’t begin to attempt.
I also look on with appreciation for the diverse gifts and
talents these carpenters, plumbers, roofers, concrete workers and contractors
possess, so different from mine own. When it comes to working with my hands,
the only tasks I can do with any success are with fingers applied to a computer
keyboard.
A prevailing notion views work as “a necessary evil,” but
work done well can be a source of much joy and satisfaction. Serving customers at a restaurant, building a house, teaching a class, writing
an article, landscaping a yard, directing a meeting, performing a concert,
selling a car, baking a casserole, or doing countless other jobs, there’s something
noble about a job well-done.
All work is noble and honorable in God's sight if it's performed with diligence and excellence. |
The organs in a human body perform different but equally critical
roles for maintaining good health. In a similar way, we’re all blessed with
diverse interests, strengths and abilities all needed in a strong, thriving
society. I’m thankful for the person that delivers our morning newspaper (yes,
we still receive one of those), the mail carrier, cashiers and clerks at our
grocery store, the fellow that guides me into the car wash, people that fix the
potholes on the roads, even meter readers that come by to see how much
electricity and water we’ve used.
There’s a passage in the Scriptures that describes this
well: “The body is a unit, though it is
made up of many parts, and though all the parts are many, they form one body…” (1
Corinthians 12:12). It goes on to point out, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head
cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the
body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are
less honorable we treat with special honor…” (1 Corinthians 12:21-23).
But there’s another aspect of work that makes it even more
meaningful and fulfilling. It’s when we recognize we’re not only serving other
people but also the God who created and ordained work. Colossians 3:22-24
states, “Slaves (workers), obey your
earthly masters (employers) in everything, and do it, not only when their eye is on you and
to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not
for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
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