Labour and Profit

Proverbs 14:23.."In all labour there is profit."

The law of life is that "we reap what we sow". The Bible also says that if a man doesn't work, he shouldn't eat.  Many other work ethic principles are scattered throughout the Word.

I am ashamed that my generation has abused this principle and bred into this generation that fun and pleasure are at the top of life's priorities.  Work is only necessary when you need the means to fund the pleasure. Most have not experienced the pleasure of the reward of hard work.

Labour implies physical exertion that produces results.
Profit is the gain or reward for the work. I am so grateful my parents instilled in me the necessity of work,  but also helped me see the profit of a job well done. I can remember, at a young age,  experiencing the pleasure of finishing a job.

As a child, one of the big spring jobs was planting potatoes. I didn't like the back breaking job of putting those potatoes in the ground, but I can still feel the good feeling of being able to eat potatoes all winter.

Believe it or not, I can remember choosing the awful job of cleaning the commode in a move to another house.  I wanted to do it so I could see the contrast after I had worked and scrubbed. The challenge, for some reason, made me feel great, when I saw that sparkling commode!

I quickly learned that time and detail in cooking or housecleaning resulted in appreciation from others and fulfillment for myself! I still can get energized ( though not as quickly as I used to:)) when I project my thinking to what the  end will be instead of dreading the job!

I learned this from my parents! My dad traveled a lot and in his absence, my mother almost always took on a project. Looking back,  she was probably trying to keep us  all busy while our Dad was gone and also using our energy positively to get extra things accomplished!  When my dad was home, we were busy,  as well. We kept our place orderly, clean and neat, inside and out.  Even as children, we had an interest in the "pride", if you will, of a place we weren't ashamed to invite our friends to visit. The extra reward was the fact that our home was always open to guests and it was often filled with fun. Yes, it was all turned upside down by the time the fun was over, but the work/ reward started all over again!

I believe it is imperative to help children appreciate order in the home. I'm all for fun, but it is more important that the children see order being frequently reestablished. They need to see the importance of everything having a place. My practice and suggestion is to clean up before bedtime so the next day can begin with order. It is difficult to begin a day peacefully when there is chaos around you. The chaos can also be controlled if all members of the household will learn to put things back where they belong! That's a hard one!

Physical exertion is also healthy.  The body was designed for working, then resting. That principle was established in the Creation. Later, an observant someone said: " all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Well said..work comes before play.

By now you know my philosophy in life: the practices we build into our lives in a temporal way affect us spiritually. I've observed a lot of life. People who have built a measure of organization into their lives, are much more structured and profitable on a public job.  They can also focus on relationships more positively. 

Another big factor in this plan, is the fact that organization in the home gives you extra time to reach out and bless others.  God instructs us to go outside of our own four walls and give and help! If all our energy is used in trying to keep our own household together, we will burn out. We need connection with others.

The labour/profit plan is a gift to our family. It will lift the burden of maintenance from our shoulders. Where there is reward, there is incentive. We all learn to work together for a common cause. Most importantly, we are following God's great plan. That, in itself,  is reward enough!