What Is Your Attitude Toward Work?

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”                                                          Colossians 3: 23, 24

For examples of workers with a right attitude we need look no further than the Seven Dwarfs of Snow White fame. Who can forget the little fellows? Joyfully they went to work whistling while they worked. What an attitude! Everybody has a “tude.” What is your tude toward your work?

When elevated to a spiritual level their spirit mirrors the lesson revealed in Colossians 3: 23.

Whatever you do, it should be done to the best of your ability. If it  is sports, domestic duties, employment, or whatever it is, it deserves your best. Why? Because of the one for whom you are performing it “for you serve the Lord Christ.” He takes precedence even over the person who may sign your pay check.

Following is a class in Emotional Equilibrium 101.

If you do what you do to the best of your ability and people brag on you, pat you on the back, and compliment you, you don’t go on an ego flight. You didn’t do it for them, you did it for Him. If your performance is pleasing to the Lord you have reason to be gratified.

If you do to the best of your ability and people complain, criticize you and throw verbal bricks at you, you don’t get depressed. You didn’t do it for them, you did it for Him. If He is pleased you have reason to be gratified. 

Thus, you have emotional equilibrium, contentment. That is only part of the payoff. The best part is “…you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”                                                        

Lou Holtz uses the jargon of sports to define for us the difference in losers and winners. “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.” 

That is true in the workforce, family life, and all of life.

If you ever feel you have more to do than there is time in which to do it, you need to realize God will not give you more to do than He gives you time in which to do it. Hence you are trying to do some things He doesn’t want you to do.

Those who look upon work as punishment are revealed in the story of the supervisor who was asked, “How many people work here?” His response, “About half of them.” Which half typifies you?

Everyone wants to be happy, but few learn how to be happy.

Happiness is a beautiful byproduct of a job well done.

Do what you do as to the Lord, not unto people.