Nothing is Free

It seems not a day goes by that some leader somewhere doesn’t look to buy our votes by promising us something free. Free college, free health care, free trips to Europe on non-carbon burning, solar-powered yachts. This sounds great! “Free” grabs our attention and they know it. But reality has a way of poking past our fantasies. The truth is: NOTHING is free. Everything has to be worked for.

God has given mankind a surefire money making scheme: Work. He has created us for ruling as well as for a relationship. We are co-regents. And we have a stewardship responsibility to live productive lives. Any living thing that matures, produces more than it consumes.

Nothing is free. Nothing is free. The first rule of economics is that everything must be worked for. If you’re going to be prosperous, work must be a part of that equation. If you ever understand your mission and your place in God’s story, work will be a part it.

Work is not a curse, it is a partnership with the Divine—it is worship.

Work brings order out of chaos, beauty out of ugliness, clarity out of confusion, and opportunity out of emptiness. These are godlike activities. The word for work and the word for worship are the same word in Hebrew: Avodah. It means service to the Lord. The Jewish father had a saying, “If you don’t teach your son a trade, you teach him to steal.”

In the Greek culture of the New Testament, had a different view. They thought work was a curse of the God’s. Their word for work came from a Latin word for “punishment” (ponos). Christianity changed all this. It brought dignity back to labor. Christianity was always a working man’s faith. Jesus was a carpenter and a Rabbi. Rabbi Paul, built tents even though he attained a great education.

As you work, worship God in your heart. Work for God and not for people. And strive to be a fourth-level worker.

Workers come in four different levels.

A first-level worker doesn’t do what he is told. They usually spend their time looking for work. Their motto is: “The world is against me.” They carry around a victim mentality and can’t see that they are their own worst enemy.

A second-level worker does only what they are told. They need to be constantly directed and supervised. They cost their employers extra money because a higher paid employee must babysit the second-level worker. Their motto is, “That’s not my job.”

A third-level worker sees what needs to be done and does it without being told. They work proactively. Their motto is, “Let’s get it done.”

A fourth-level worker sees what needs to be done and does it without being told and they innovate. They find faster and better ways to do things. Their motto is, “How can I best help the team.”

Let your work bring pleasure into the world.

When we experience some legitimate pleasure, we are eating the fruit of someone’s labor. Enjoying a meal at home or in a restaurant, we enjoy the fruit of labor. Watching a sporting match, we enjoy the fruit of someone’s labor. When we sit to take in a concert, we enjoy the fruit of someone’s labor. When you work, you bring pleasure into a hurting world.

I recall a golden day in my life. My son had grown enough to cut the grass and my daughter had reached the age she could use the oven. One day I watched from the window my son cutting the grass as I dipped a freshly baked cookie into my milk. It was glorious! Their work brought pleasure into my life.

Let your work alleviate pain. You live in a hurting world. Your work can invade that pain and bring life to the hurting. When God’s people serve in hospitals, nursing homes, repair shops, agriculture and dozens of other noble occupations, they are doing much to alleviate discomfort around the world.

Don’t be like a blister, they only show up after the work is done. Dive in and help the team. People easily recognize when others work to get out of work!

Read Charles Sykes, author of Dumbing Down our Kids, gave some sage advice for young people entering the work force.

Rules for students just entering the workforce:

Rule 1: Life is not fair, get used to it.

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.

Rule 4: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity.

Rule 5: If you mess up, it’s not your parents fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.

Rule 6: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing your own room.

Rule 7: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

Rule 8: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

This post is adapted from our new book, “What Dad Used to Say.” To grab a copy head to Amazon for the Kindle or http://whatdadusedtosay.careywaldie.com

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