Will Work for Food

I think that deep within the heart of mankind is a need to work. Don't believe me? Take a boy and sit him down with a hammer, some scrap wood, and nails. Then leave. Go get some iced tea. Put your feet up. Read your favorite magazine. But whatever you do, don't take a nap. The sound of the hammering of nails will keep you up. They just can't help it. 

 

Now, don't get me wrong. Most of us have been lulled to sleep iPods and television. Our computers keep us up late as they spin tales in our head and delight our senses. But take all that away for a couple of hours and you'll find beneath all that sleepiness a mind and body that long to be at work. 

 

"Ha.." you say "Then why is it that I hate my job and long to be somewhere, anywhere, but there!" 

 

Good question, my friend, and thanks for asking.

 

I suppose we all have a variety of reasons for dreading Monday morning, but I suspect they boil down to a few commonalities. 

 

First, it's just a job. Really, many of us have a job that we have no real passion for. We work it to make the money to pay for life. That's about it. But what about those things you do have a passion for? You spend hours on those things, and though you may grow weary and frustrated, you probably don't hate it. You probably like it. Otherwise, why would you do it at all.

 

I know my logic is stunning you at this point. 

 

You may also miss community. I don't mean living "in a community". I mean living in community. We were created as beings that need other beings. We want to be in a place where we feel needed, respected, and (dare I say) loved. So many jobs, even if they are not manufacturing, have a production line mentality. The goal is to squeeze from you, the worker, as much time and energy (which equals money) as possible. But remember how it felt playing on that sports team at school? Remember the joy of going to band or play practice? Remember how you felt about your friends when you were younger? I think we're really missing that as adults. 

 

Perhaps the biggest problem of all is being repetitive....the very word causes me to roll my eyes. I don't know your exact job, but I'll bet most of you have been pigeon-holed into a role. You know that's the case when you hear yourself say things like "That's not really my area." or "You'd have to go through my boss to get that approved." Likely you do the same basic work day in and day out. Even, in some cases, the faces or places may change, but the work is pretty much the same. Haven't you ever gone out on a beautiful spring day when the sun is high and a cool breeze is blowing in your face and thought "I sure wish I was working with that landscaping crew over there?" Or maybe if you're the landscaping crew on a blistering hot day you think "It'd sure be nice to sit in front of a computer in an air conditioned officed today." I think there are hundreds of jobs that I'd love to do....for a time. But I know that I get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. I don't know that there is any easy answer for people who don't like they're job. But I'd guess that most of us, if given the opportunity, would love to work; we just want work that is satisfying. We want work that involves:  

• A combination of physical and mental labor.
• A varied work environment.
• Working in community with others (at least from time to time).
• Really believing in what we do.

Maybe it's just me.  But if I were a teenager contemplating my future, I'd want to review this list. 

So what about those people who don't want to work?  Let's make the distinction between those who can't and those who won't.  Those who won't are lazy.  It's really that simple.  They somehow anticipate that we, the taxpayer, should feed them.  If you'll allow me to paraphrase the Bible: if a man 
won't work, he shouldn't eat.  Yes, it really is that simple.
I can't sum it up any better than the wisest man to ever live.  "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?"  

And without Him, who would want to?