In a world of quick fixes and modern conveniences, how do we see the benefits of hard work in our everyday lives?
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –Thomas Edison, inventor
I admit to liking my modern conveniences. I use a bread maker and a microwave. I drive every day, sometimes while sipping a coffee I picked up in a drive thru. I also am ever so glad for my washer and dryer.
But what do we miss when we don’t do the hard work of getting the things we have?
A few years ago, I spent a month living like a pioneer woman, or at least it felt that way. When our water heater broke, we found ourselves washing dishes and clothes by hand after setting buckets of water out in the sun to warm. We bathed in a trickle of cold water with warm water buckets for rinsing.
I learned a lot that month. I learned that my parents were right about soaking dishes before washing. And I learned that there is a certain satisfaction in hard work.
When you put effort into something, you get something of equal value out. Your experience is enriching and gives you a full-hearted feeling that you can only get from seeing the fruits of your labor. It’s a satisfaction like no other.
How hard work leads to opportunity
While satisfying, work can be off-putting. We warily avoid things that look too hard, instinctively protecting our time, our health, and – honestly – our laziness. How can something that looks difficult and laborious be the way to something golden like opportunity?
Opportunities pop up often in our lives, but we don’t always take the road that forks from our own. Not every option was made for us. This is why the discerning act of prayer and listening are so important. It helps up know which opportunities were for us and which were not.
But we must never discount an opportunity, especially one God is leading us toward, because of the hard work it entails. As I’ve said, the hardest work can often reap the biggest rewards.
Five years ago, when I felt called to take my children out of school and homeschool them, it was not an easy task. Through ups and downs, the sometimes relentless slog of the day to day, it has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and still do.
But the rewards for both the children and I can’t be measured. The kids don’t see the big picture as much as I do, but I see how their hard work has enriched their lives. I notice the leaps and bounds they make as much as the stumbles that are inevitable.
Our hard work was an opportunity to grow as a family through togetherness and education. And I have no doubt that as a result of these years of hard work, more opportunities will present themselves.
Because God is good and He knows the value of doing the hard thing. So should we.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration? Try these posts:
Balancing Rest and Work in the Garden of Life
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