Work really IS restful...with the right outlook!

The other day someone asked me what I would do if I won the lottery.  I responded "I would take some time with my family, line up some things I would like to sponsor and donate to and then find an opportunity for me to do what I love to do."

"You would go back to work?" they asked incredulously, so I asked what they would do. "Oh, man, I would buy a car, a new home, vacation anywhere, do nothing," etc., etc., etc.

We've all know people like this. And they are truly living an imbalanced life. Personally, I have noticed I go  stir crazy if I have 3 days off with nothing to do. I get owly and irritable and my family really notices this. I am quite aware because I don't like the way I feel. Why is that? Am I unusual? I know almost everyone says they wouldn't work, and perhaps not doing what they are doing now, but I believe they would in fact find something to do lest they would become quite miserable.

Why is that?  I believe it is abundantly clear God made our bodies and minds to work, not perpetually rest. It has been relatively well-established people are less like to be diagnosed with dementia if they are daily using their brain- reading, doing puzzles, in other words, exercising their minds. Genesis 2:15 reads God put Adam into the Garden of Eden to work it, to work it for God. It was entrusted to man by God so Adam's work of the garden would have been a form of worship.

Then we messed it up and God admonished Adam saying in Genesis 3:17-19 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 
 

It is clear when you look at these two chapters together in context, the initial premise of work was in fact to be a joyful thing for man and was later subjugated to a chore secondary to our sinful nature. Since God had already designed man with the intent of  having him work the garden it can only mean work is supposed to fulfill a basic need and worship God.

Likewise, most people are familiar with the feeling after a good workout. I am not referring to something like a scene out of Rocky or running a marathon. I am talking about an exercise regimen or physical activity which raises the pulse a little. Our body was designed to release endorphins (Endogenous Morphine) into the bloodstream when it is exerted, or worked. This creates an euphoric sensation causing a great feeling when we are done exercising. Likewise, when we are in the right spirit, we will feel, maybe not euphoric after a day at work, but certainly more fulfilled.

God INTENDED for us to work our bodies to help keep us healthy and balanced. I am unaware of any other machine in the world which actually strengthens when it is used.

Furthermore, we have seen the side-effects of a sedentary lifestyle; today, Americans are by far the fattest and most unhealthy they have been in our history, and are more than likely in the #1 position in the world for obesity. Not something to brag about.

Even God himself "worked" 6 days before resting. Why would we be any different?  Were we not made in His likeness? But there's more to the story.

As a Christian, it is incumbent upon us to work well for our employer as a form of worship for our Father. Think about it for a second- particularly if you work in an job which seems like you are alone: You alone are the light of the Father in that dark place. Executing your job with joy and a sense of fulfillment will exemplify the role God has in mind for us.

We all dream of bigger, better jobs, with more pay, but remember the parable of the talents? Matthew 25:14-30 tells us how a master entrusted three servants with talents. 2 increased their gift while the third kept his hidden. This angered the master and he was no longer trusted with more than he already had. If he could not be trusted with a little more, how could he be trusted with a lot more blessing in his life? It is not by accident I think this is a parable on talents. In other words, the talents God has given you are not to be buried or kept hidden (see my article on the lessons to be learned from Christopher Maloney's audition on X-Factor).

When we realize we are worshiping God with our works by working with joy and passion, we are honoring Him and we should then naturally become less focused on the job and what our tasks are and more focused on worshiping God by being a good employee. This will clear our mind and open our heart to be more at rest.  Look at the three men at the top of this article- which one would you prefer to work with? Which one looks like he is a good employee?  


But there is more to the story: We have all heard of a restless heart. Someone who is impatient and seemingly ready to leave at the drop of a hat for something better. They are constantly on the hunt for the grass on the other side of the fence. I always wondered why this is and I believe it is because they have a restless heart. A heart at rest will find peace and joy in its current surroundings, a restless cannot be at peace. Thus, we see people who job hop, overeat, overspend, overdrink, be overly active, are too plugged into society to find their center and balance themselves.  Wise is the person who realizes this and sets about to make a change.

I made this change myself about a month ago. I stopped listening to my news talk radio and music and started listening to things to make me grow and learn. I can tell you from my personal experience, I am less tired at the end of the day, seem to get more done daily, and have grown more in my faith in the past few weeks than I have in the previous ten years. I felt I was in a good walk but now realize I was but a toddler stumbling along my path and now realize how much more there is for me to know and grow.

Put this to action in your life:

1. Find some time in the day to UNPLUG!  Turn off the phone, the social media, radio, tv. Be quiet, and reflect on who you are, what you have been given and whom you might be able to help. But start with yourself! Starting your day by watching the news is a great way to start looking at the world through a prism of negativity so refrain from watching/reading news.
2. Spend time listening to things that will improve you during your commute or during your lunch.
3. Start finding miracles in the small things in your life and be thankful for them, as trivial as they may seem. 
4. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, be thankful for the job you have now. Realize your boss may not be the greatest in the world, but they too are human, have ambitions and fears and could benefit from an employee like you, worshiping God by being the best employee they have ever had!

Planting the seed...

The other day I had the chance to meet with a friend one evening. He called and said his wife was having a shower or something of the sort at their home so he needed to get out for a while. We met at a neighborhood cigar store and sat outside in the pleasant Texas evening enjoying the sunset and the relaxation of a nice cigar and great fellowship.

Gene and I had worked together previously at a dealership where we met. I took an instant liking to him despite many differences in our lives, but perhaps because of parallel ideals. He has 3 children, is a veteran, and has very similar political views. He is also well-read and a bit of an intellect for someone who has not completed a degree of advanced study(I hope that does not sound arrogant or elitist, it is not intended to).

We had many passionate discussions about American history, current affairs and bringing up a family, though when we turned to religion, Gene had no use for organized religion. He was against it based on the experience he has had in the past with what he felt pastors being more about the offering than the message. Gene had not attended church as a child, a few times in the Navy, but really was not what I would call a religious man, though he did believe in God and Jesus Christ. Like many newcomers to the faith, or perhaps more to his point, casual Christians who are not "all in" in their faith, Gene had several issues with trying to resolve real life with what the Bible says. Thus, he had it set in his head he didn't need to go to church.

I shared with him the need to commune with others of similar belief, and that "religion" is man-made. By that I mean religion is faith combined with rituals we may find comfort in to augment our church-going experience. The need to commune with others is very real. We need to be there for others in their moment of need just as we need them in our time of need. If we only went to church when WE felt the need to be lifted up, no one would be there when things were going smoothly and everyone there would be having difficult times. It is much easier to be a positive when things are going your way.

I suggested perhaps they needed to find a more scriptural-based church to meet his needs. I didn't try to push too hard because I knew I would become one of "those" who had alienated Gene all along to worshiping our God in church.

Not long after that, Gene suggested we meet Sunday after church with the fam to fellowship. It was great. I saw a new gleam in his eyes and he was quick to point out some of the lessons they had learned in the sermon and how he felt it might apply to him.

Now, nearly two years after that initial conversation, Gene and his family are now regularly attending a church he loves. He says every sermon seems to be aimed right at him and his pastor is fearless, and is willing to tackle contemporary issues like teen-age promiscuity, acting like a Christian. These are very convicting sermons. We have a number of "mega-churches" in our are of Dallas here. Some with congregations of over 20,000 people. We have watched some of the sermons on t.v. and have not impressed with the message too much. It seems very "watered down" or too easy-going. They seem more concerned with getting people in the doors and not offending them than truly giving a message Jesus would be proud of.

I ramble. The point of this post is to stress when you are witnessing for Christ, the most important thing to bear in mind is to be a friend first, and understand if you have the chance to witness and try to win someone to Christ, you may not be able to completely win them all by yourself, especially in one discussion. You are planting the seed. Someone else will water it. Someone else will cultivate it. Someone else will harvest that seed. Each step is critical in His work, and the ultimate glory be to Him in the highest, regardless of what role YOU had! You will still be responsible for the actions/inactions you take with those around you as you walk in His way.

Did those conversations make a difference in Gene's life? I would say so, but so did his interaction with my wife and children, seeing how we are an integrated family with a faithful servant's heart (I hope!) and being disciples of Christ, and so did his interactions with other Christian friends. Ultimately, it was not what I said, but what the Holy Spirit said THROUGH

me and others. People from my friend Jipu's ministry Win Bangladesh handing out tracts for Christ



Plant that seed today- you never know how large that vine will grow and how much fruit it will bear for the Kingdom!

You are going to do something great

I had a little difficulty writing this post. I have never shared this with anyone but my wife, and for those of you who know me, you'll understand why.

I am not one to tout myself and toot my own horn. In fact, that is an inherent weakness of mine in the business world as I don't concern myself with telling the boss what I am up to. Rather, I focus on the tasks he gave me and completing them. I abhore the person who is constantly trying to be the center of attention, telling everyone how great they are and what they are doing. Consequently, I do not care for subordinates who do the same, and have no place for them.

This is all about a conversation I had several years ago with a widow, and her comment has haunted me ever since. She was waiting for her vehicle to be finished in the service department, as was I and we started talking about something. What it was I cannot remember, but it was a warm, deep and thought provoking conversation. I do recall her mentioning her husband had died recently, and though she missed him, knew he was in a better place. I remember her face like it was yesterday- thin, middle-aged woman, short short hair with some gray in it. She was a beautiful, elegant lady with an aire of sophistication and perhaps aristocracy.

The bottom line, she was a magnificent lady, and I remember thinking to myself what a shame, at her early age, to have experienced the loss of her beloved husband.

At any rate, something happened that day in our conversation. After a few minutes, and after the discussions became deep and more meaningful, she paused, looking me in the eyes and said "You are going to do something great someday".

I thanked her for her kindness and time, and left. But her words did not sink in until later.

"You are going to do something great someday".

What did she see in me? What did she hear that prompted her to say that to a complete stranger after only a few minutes? At first I was complimented, but it soon turned to a dull echo in my head, sometimes consuming me as I struggled for an answer.

When I was very young, my grandfather took my hands and said "Those are the hands of a ball-player".

As it turned out, that was prophetic. I was gifted in baseball, though my grandpa never had the chance to see me play. I know he would have been proud.

It was in this context that this ladies' words affected me deeply. I had heard it before and it was prophetic, albeit from a relative.

The challenge is, has been and will be to determine what is in store for me, what is God's plan for me. I have had a servant's heart all my life. In fact, when I was 12, I made up my mind I wanted to serve my country as an officer in the military as my father had done, and the only other things that attracted me were similar missions- FBI, fire department, State Police. I hunger to make a difference, and that is something I have missed since I left medical sales. The ability to positively affect people in my profession.

So now what? Am I to run for a public office? Start a charitable organization or support one? Adopt foster children? I don't know, but I pray God to reveal to me what He would have me to do.

What about you? Are you doing God's work? Or are you resisting Him living for yourself and the moment? Nothing is sweeter than being in the blessings of the Lord, knowing you are a good child and faithful servant. In this capacity, you are a powerful witness for God. I pray you are there too.