Walk of Life – August 2021 – Day 6 – Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs – The Right Attitude
The Right Attitude to Work
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Proverbs 6:6
We work day in and day out and for many of us working from home has become living at work. Its now a whole package of work all in one parcel…house work, office work, and all the other distractions that are part of being at home. This verse makes me ponder…how sincere are we in our work and our attitude toward work. Secular work does not mean that you are not accountable to God. Whatsoever you do, do it as unto the Lord. Sincerity in every single area of our lives is what the Lord is asking from us.
The ant…this little creature has always inspired me. It is so tiny but when you see the ant carrying a load, you feel like rewarding it! In work, perseverance always pays off! None of us join jobs knowing everything. It is a continuous learning process. You need to stick on. It is very easy to get upset and worried when you are corrected or when you are spoken to roughly because you made a mistake. Learn from it and move on. Never brood over it. I know of people who keep changing jobs because they cannot get along. It is very important to respect everyone, to not have a know-all attitude, to be a team player, to be cordial and friendly, and to be reliable, dependable, and hard-working.
Guess we should learn work ethics from the ant. It seems the ants take power naps that last over a minute. At any one point of time, at least 80% of the ants are awake. It is very surprising that these little creatures do not get tired but work tirelessly day and night. We all need sleep, but sometimes we feel so lazy that we do not want to do anything. If you are really tired and need some sleep, take that nap so you will feel refreshed. It is very essential that we begin our day early on our knees with the Lord and His Word and receive that power and energy from Him which alone can keep us going.
These creatures work at at a steady pace. They do not drag around, delay a job, do it as slowly as they can, or stand around and gossip. They begin a job, work hard through it and complete it. They never give up…the most beautiful quality. If we are not able to arrive at the solution, at some point we get depressed and give up. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” That includes the most difficult math problems, the most complex coding, the toughest job, the most deft surgery…all things. Never give up, hold on to the Lord and persevere, be it in your secular job or in your spiritual walk with the Lord.
They do not need supervision, that is such an asset. Specially in today’s work scenario, we are allowed to work at our own pace but deliver results. If you are assigned a job, ensure to complete it perfectly much before the deadline. Do not wait to be reminded, prodded, sent emails, to complete your job. Focus from start to finish and deliver a job that is worthy to be appreciated. Give God the glory through all that you do.
They help each other. In today’s corporate world, people seem to be more keen on pushing each other down and not just the corporate world, in every area. Team work is the key for the ant. We need to move together, work together, be united in our efforts. With more and more divisions creeping into our churches, I wonder where we will be 10 years from now. Let us lay down our differences, look unto the Lord Jesus and work together to fulfil the purpose for which the Lord has kept us.
Finally save for the bad day; a lesson most of us learnt during the pandemic. If you had significant savings, you would have managed during the lockdown. If you were a spendthrift with nothing to fall back on, you may have struggled. Save for those difficult days. Do not spend unnecessarily. Its God’s grace that we are alive, in good health and able to earn. Keep some for those tough times.
Do I have the right attitude to work like the ant? Do I work sincerely, wholeheartedly, with complete focus and concentration? Do I save for the bad day? Do I persevere not complete the task and not give up? Lord, help me to learn from the ant and work to give glory to your name.
