My oldest son will be graduating from high school in less than two weeks. This past Sunday, our church honored graduates, and I found myself emotionally moved as I listened to my son share about his dreams. In a very short amount of time, his plan is to move to Japan and attend the International Christian University. He has a real knack for learning languages, and he plans to study and become a teacher. Recently, he secured his first real job (one where he works for someone other than me). He is a hard worker, and I know that his employer will not be disappointed in the quality of his work.
Do you remember your first job? After having a paper route, and working for a contractor, I took my first “real” job at the age of 15 working for Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. Do you remember Farrell’s? On the outside, looking in it looked like a fun place to work. Yet once I got inside, I quickly wanted out. The fictional character Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates…” It is amazing how good something can look on the outside, but be so different on the inside. I worked for the ice cream parlor for just a little over a month doing my best to give my best effort, all the while looking for another position somewhere else. My dad is the one who taught me about work. He works hard, and I would say that he perceives his work as a way of truly blessing others.
The value of a strong work ethic goes without debate, but ways to instill that quality in young people continues to be a challenge at times. As we come to the close of another school year, I wonder if our students got it. Sometimes it can look (from the outside) that we are only focused on outcomes and external evidence (grades and awards), and while these are the fruit of working hard, it is not the only or best part of work. What I am hoping is that our students realize that everything they do, everything they say, is an opportunity to glorify Christ. We have been created to worship and glorify God. There is no greater reason for our existence. There are times I am tempted to separate my life into the categories of sacred and secular. Yet in reality, every situation in which a person finds him or herself is a means of obtaining a greater knowledge of Jesus Christ. I believe that the Holy Spirit is determined that we have the realization of Jesus in every area of our lives, and He will bring us back to the same point repeatedly until we learn. Self-realization leads to self-glorification. Whatever we may, be doing—even eating, drinking, working, or resting—we have to take the initiative of realizing and recognizing Jesus Christ in it. I am hoping that our students get beyond the thinking that there is work to be done and that we must do it, and move towards the attitude that we have the opportunity to glorify Christ in all things.
Thanks for reading.
