Hard Work!
Posted on Feb 07, 2008 under Children |All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.Proverbs 14:23
I’m not sure what happened over the course of the past 40 or so years, but there has definitely been a tremendous shift in our general work ethic. I always believed that if you want something, you must work to earn it. When I look around today, I see people of all ages expecting to have all their needs and wants met without every actually working for it.
The easy thing to do is to blame the government or the schools. The tough thing is to look at how we parent. We are our children’s first teacher and we are responsible for instilling in our children a good work ethic. Handing our kids anything they want, whenever they ask, is doing them a huge disservice.
Of course, it isn’t enough to tell our kids to work hard. We really ought to be showing them, not by simply letting them watch us but by letting them work with us. Whether it’s kitchen clean up or yard work, the kids should be right by our sides, working and sweating and learning the value of a job well done. I know, sometimes it’s faster and easier to just do it ourselves. In the end, though, it isn’t about faster or easier but rather about doing right by our kids.
God is always with us to provide for our needs but He expects us to work hard, too. It’s fine to have a goal or a dream, as long as you are working toward that dream. Our kids deserve the feeling of pride that comes from hard work and accomplishment. Let’s make sure we give them that by setting the right example.
