The Blessing of Work

The last week gave me the opportunity to participate in some hard manual labor in the extremely hot Texas summer sun.  Though I somewhat dreaded the necessary tasks at hand, I actually truly enjoyed it.  Let me tell you why. 

I believe joy comes when we work hard.  For whatever reason, it is gratifying to push ourselves, extend our talents and efforts, and accomplish a goal.  Hard work is extremely satisfying and our ability to do it is a blessing.  When the tasks at hand were accomplished this past week, I felt exhausted but also great for what I had been able to achieve.  In fact, I still feel good about it.    

Doing something hard can bring us a great sense of pride and accomplishment.  Hard work I believe boosts our self-esteem and confidence.  When we know we have done something hard, it gives us confidence we can do it again and again.  I also believe it can boost our energy and mental capacity.  The positive effects of hard work can be pretty remarkable really. 

So if hard work can be so good, why do so many of us avoid it all the time?  This is a good question.  It is human nature to want to avoid hard things and I believe our society more and more diminishes the value of hard work.  Instead in many ways we promote that gaining something for nothing is much better than actually exerting our own effort.  This idea robs us of our sense of self-worth.  Because of this prevailing belief, it seems fewer and fewer people are participating in or are even willing to work hard.  This trend I am afraid is and will continue to have an extremely negative impact on our society because of the many blessings and positive effects that come from working hard. 

The ability to work hard is a blessing in our lives and we need to take advantage of it.  Next time we are asked to do something difficult, we should be excited by the challenge and the feelings we will feel when we complete the task.  Rather than look for ways to get out of work, let’s enjoy the satisfaction that comes from it!!