Hard Work

It is easy to grow tired of hard work. Especially hard work that is never ending. My homeschooled high school daughter is taking some demanding dual enrollment college classes and working very hard. The end of the semester is in sight, but she is tired and it is hard to muster the energy to stick with it.

I am in a similar situation as I close in on publishing my latest book. I have revised it at least a hundred times, and still find errors as I go through it. The editing seems to never end.

And then, if you are like me, in the back of our minds as we struggle and groan through hours and hours of never ending hard work, we ask, "Is it worth it? Is all this toil and trouble going to pay off in the end?"

In all honesty, there are times that it will not. At least not always the way we hope. We may still fail classes that we have given our all to. We may not have best sellers despite years of perfecting our book. Relationships may crumble, dust bunnies may gather, sweaters may be irreparably shrunk in the wash, and dinner may be burned.

As I was musing all this, I came across a verse in 1 Chronicles 28 that leapt off the page straight to my heart.
"Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for The Lord God, my God, is with you."

He promises that He will stick with us. He does not promise us the results that we crave necessarily, but He does promise we will not be forsaken. And He makes it clear -- we are to do what we have been called to do with strength and courage and optimism and faith.

I don't know about you, but that made me perk up a little while doing my hard work.

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1 Chronicles 28:20 NIV
[20] David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.


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