day 450: Working Hard To Relieve A Burden

Funny how most people don't mind working hard for something that will be of gain for themselves, but when it comes to working hard to help someone else, well, the emotions seems to shift a bit and reluctance rears its head. Call it what you will, I think it is also just in our human nature. Maybe it is our selfishness, but it is pretty evident that we will go well above and beyond for the things that will benefit us directly. We tend to shift our motivation when others ask us to help them out or to take some of the load off of them. I would like to think that we could all come from a place of others first and ourselves second but let's be honest, it takes us stopping and thinking about it and being very committed and mindful to do this consistently. How much better our work places would be if we could make this shift. Imagine if the day started with people looking for ways to lessen the burden of others before they took care of their own needs? These would be companies where everyone would want to work and I suspect they wouldn't have to push too hard to be on top of all the best places to work lists. This is an area where we as believers who are working to a purpose of bringing glory to God in our work can make a real difference each day. If we can shift our thinking and attitude to putting others first, we can be the beginning of what might just catch on with others. If we need an example, look no further than what Paul, Silas and Timothy said in 2 Thessalonians 3:8; "...We worked hard day and night so that we would not be a burden to any of you." They knew that they would not be accepted or respected to the level that others would follow them if they added onto their burdens. Instead they removed the burden and assured that others recognized this as well. What can we do so that others who we work with know that we are not people who add to others burdens or only watch out for ourselves? What can we do today so that others see that we are people who put others first and are not afraid to work hard to relieve the burdens of the others around us? It is in this attitude and approach to our work that the example of who we follow can shine through.

Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:8 (New Living Testament)

day 428: "What Do I Need To Do?"

This past weekend, I was the guest speaker at my church for the weekend services. Each time I do this, I am humbled by the amazing energy, endurance and commitment that those who serve each week in a pulpit bring to those of us who are the recipients and beneficiaries of the messages. It's hard work and we should all thank and pray for our Pastors as they carry this calling. The title of my message was "When the Earth Moves Under Us" and it had to do with the lessons that could be learned in the courage that the Jailer from Acts 16 had when he made choices and decisions as it related to the potential escape of Paul and Silas. The Jailer is a lot like any of us who do our jobs, day in and day out, and then have a misstep happen to us. The final note of the message was that the courageous question that we each should be asking daily is, "What do I need to do?" If you are interested in hearing/watching the message I have inserted the link here for you:

http://cornerstone-sf.org/tv/detail/257

In Acts 16 the Jailer finds the courage to ask, "What do I need to do?" If only each of us had the daily courage to ask that question and then take the answers and learn from them. Imagine how much better we would be if we started with this question first before we come at our work, our problems, our relationships and our challenges with; "Here is what I am going to do...what do you think?" See the difference? Try asking the right question today and see what it yields. Ask your boss, your co-workers, your team and don't forget to also ask God. His will be the best answer you will get.

Reference: Acts Chapter 16

day 412: Work Hard?

Should we work hard? Seems like a silly question doesn't it? Of course we should work hard and our work ethic should drive us to do so. But, not everyone is the same when it comes to this topic. According to the Pew Institutes Research, the last four generations (The Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomers and Generation X) all counted work ethic as a significant part of what defines them. But the newest generation, The Millenials, don't have this in their definition. It's not that they mind work, it is just that when put in the context of the rest of their lives it's not as important and maybe therefore, they just don't see hard work as important as the rest of us. Guess what, we are all going to have to adapt to understand this better over the next decade. What makes any of us want to work hard is that we have something meaningful to work towards. We all can remember one of those situations where we have worked all night on a project and ate the pizza more than once and while we really didn't want to be there, there was no place that we would rather be. Why? Because we felt that work was important and we were making a difference and what we were doing was important at the time. This makes the hard work worth it. I also think that there times when we are called upon to work hard and for us to set the right example we need to dig deep and know that we need to live up to the expectations of others. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul, Silas and Timothy write to the church in Thessalonica and they make it clear that sometimes work will be hard but the expectation is that we pull our weight. They say to the people there in Chapter 3:10; "Even while we were there with you, we gave your this rule: 'Whoever does not work should not eat." That means, they were expected to work, work hard and if not, then the most basic of rewards would be withheld. Maybe we are taking for granted that someone needs us to work hard this week. Maybe with just a little extra effort and oomph we can not only live up to expectations but also exceed those needs. When we do this, I believe we open up the door for more to come our way, but also earn the respect of others, which can lead to our examples being ones that others want to learn about and follow. A little hard work can go a long way.

Reference: 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (New Living Testament)