Finding Joy In Work

It is the day to clean my house,
Everything in its place,
Dusting all the furniture,
Airing out the space.

Cleaning all the bathrooms,
Scrubbing kitchen floors,
Changing all the sheets,
Sweeping near the door.

Cleaning with my music on,
Wile away the hours,
Lighting a favorite candle,
Cutting some fresh flowers.

Stepping back, admiring,
What my hard work had wrought,
Getting satisfaction,
That could never have been bought.

Why do we shy away from work?
Why grumble and complain?
If truth be told, it is because,
It will all get dirty again.

Nothing lasts forever.
Cobwebs will return.
Dust will drift beneath the bed.
For a respite we will yearn.

It seems we never get ahead,
When our ducks are in a row,
Something comes to knock them down,
And down they all will go.

Is it the lack of permanence,
That frustrates our very soul?
Is it the sameness of the task,
That tends to take its toll?

How can we make the daily work,
Be something we’re glad about?
How can we smile and find the joy,
That permeates throughout?

By being grateful for the work,
Being glad we are alive.
Being glad we have a reason,
To get up at ten-till-five.

Being grateful for our two strong legs,
Which we can walk upon,
Begin thankful for our two good arms,
Instead of stifling a yawn.

Being giddy that we have a voice,
That is singing while we work,
Being thankful for the energy,
So we never have to shirk.

Work is not drudgery.
It is a gift from God.
It is a welcome interruption,
One we will soon applaud.

The alternative is undesirable.
There’d be nothing left to do.
We’d sit around and twiddle,
We would end up being blue.

Work makes us productive.
It enhances all our lives.
It sustains us and our families,
It helps us to survive.

Intrinsic satisfaction,
Of a job well done.
Knowing we were faithful,
Knowing regrets are none.

So get out your duster,
Get the broom and sweep the floor,
Fill a bucket with some water,
Put things back inside the drawers.

Open all the windows wide,
Let in some good fresh air,
Even in the mundane tasks,
We know our God is there.

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We find that work can be drudgery at times.
Something we just cleaned becomes dirty again.
The floor we just washed has muddy footprints.
The windows we just cleaned have little nose prints.

It seems like a never-ending job.
It seems like we are never done.
It seems like we never get a break.
It seems futile.

But it isn’t.

It is good to work.
It is good to find satisfaction in even the most mundane task.
It is a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small.
It is making a house a home, and our family reaping the benefit.

It is teaching our family how to work.
It is never expecting a free ride.
It is taking a vested interest because it is their home, too.
It is feeling a sense of pride in a job well done.

Even a little job.
Even a job that no one may ever notice.
God notices.
God sees.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air, and all the beasts of the field. (Genesis 2:15-20)

The man (Adam) was the first taxonomist.
He named and categorized all the birds and animals that God created.
Adam was given work to do; God-ordained work in the Garden.
Adam was given a helper suitable for him to work by his side.

Work is a gift from God.
Work goes back to the first man and woman in the Garden.
Because of our sin, work is toil.
Work is arduous, it lacks the joy and satisfaction that God intended.

All the more reason to bring God into our work.
All the more reason to see the work as a blessing.
Even in its tediousness, we are to be grateful for our work.
Even in the routine, God is there.

Especially then.
Always.
God is there.

Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)

God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Be thankful.
Work is a gift from God.