Work With Your Hands, Your Head, or Both
Friday, August 4, 2023
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers
I must admit that I have never enjoyed manual labor. I am not good at it either, so I don’t know whether to blame my ineptitude or my laziness.
However, as many of you know, I absolutely love working up a sweat on the softball field, the basketball court, or the golf course. Give me a ball, a score, and a chance to win… and I will jump, dive, slide, shoot, and swing as hard as I can.
Since I knew early on that a career as a tradesman wasn’t in the cards – nor was I talented enough to play professional sports – I decided to earn a living by using my biggest (and sole remaining) asset… my brain. And so, I took college prep courses throughout high school with the intention of majoring in political science on my way to a law degree.
But Jesus had other ideas…
After trusting Him as my Savior at age 17, I soon found myself enrolled at St. John’s University, majoring in Sports Administration of all things. From there, I transferred to Temple University where I earned my Bachelor’s degree and completed some graduate studies. Then, it was off to the “real world” where people only hire you and pay you and promote you in exchange for your performing a particular job and doing it well.
For the past 36 years, that job has been ministering to prisoners and at-risk youth. And although I don’t dig a ditch, hammer a nail, or repair an engine, I work as hard as those who do. I also get my hands just as dirty.
My friend, what gifts and talents has God blessed you with and are you using them to the fullest for His glory? If not, maybe it’s time to find a new profession or a new ministry… or to simply work a little harder.
“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.” I Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NLT)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
