The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:15-14
Over the last twenty to thirty years working for a living has gotten a bad reputation. Work is look upon as a punishment, something to be avoided at all costs. In the US we seem to take a dim view of someone getting their hands dirty doing work. Better to set back and let someone else take care of you. In most instances this is the government but it can be a parent, other relative or a friend. And there are some who think having to work is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin. The reasoning is if they had not sinned we would all be sitting around feasting off the land with not a care in the world.
From today’s verses we see that work was part of God’s plan for us from the beginning. Humans are made to work. God had work planned for Adam and Eve in the garden. When people stop working problems arise. And it does not matter why they stop working. When the government makes it financially beneficial not to work we see families fall apart, kids getting into crime and drug use soar. But problems can also arise when people retire and just stop working. I had a great-uncle who when he retired plopped himself in his recliner in front of the TV and within six months he was dead.
We are made to work and we suffer consequences when we don’t. That does not mean we need to do the same work every day of our lives but we need to find useful work no matter what our age. Work gives us self-worth and is keeps us mentally and physically well. As Christians we need to instill in our children the value of work. We need to show them the rewards of work both monetary and personal. And if we do retire from our vocation then we need to have some hobby or cause that we can continue to do. God created work not to punish us but to bring us closer to Him. Just as God worked to create earth so we need to continue to work to care for it.
Have a blessed day,
David
…and if we look at Paul’s example, he made tents. What an example! Many of us wish we could do full time ministry, but the reality is we have to work. There’s a reason and a purpose for work–it’s part of the plan.