day 740: Deserving Pay, Redux

"Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay"

I'm reposting this because the issues of pay, pay inequity, and what we can/should expect for our compensation is a topic that is on lots of people's minds today.


Jesus tells His disciples how to conduct themselves in Luke chapter 10, verses 5-7 as He prepares them for what they will be doing after He is gone. He makes a simple statement to them; "Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay". We live in an age where there is more transparency around pay than ever before. Once thought of as a taboo subject, today we hear people talk openly with their peers and others about how much money they make, or don't make. I remember when I first came out of school with my graduate degree. I went to work at Pratt & Whitney as a Personnel Trainee. I don't remember how much it was that I made as a differential because I had an advanced degree, versus those with only a bachelors, but it was enough of a difference that I kept it to myself and I felt obligated and burdened to work harder so that I would truly be deserving of my pay level. A lot of people I have run into in the corporate world feel they are not only deserving of their pay but deserving of much more. And even worse they have not always been willing to work harder or better to receive more.

We are not to be ashamed of what we deserve, but we are to work for it. And by work, it means to fulfill the responsibilities assigned to us in a way that reflects that we are giving it our all, going the extra mile, and recognizing that the pay we receive is not a right but instead something that can only be earned. When we have performed our work at this level, then we can be proud of the pay deserved. The question to ask yourself today, or any day when you stand in the shower wondering how you can make more money for what you do, is are you committed to performing at the level commensurate with the pay you desire? For it is clear we do not deserve the pay for which we desire. We deserve the pay for the level of work we perform.

Reference: Luke 10: 5-7 (New Living Testament)