Always Work Hard
- Category: Gospel Truth
- Date 05-04-2015
- 318 views
‘Success is a set of ladders which you cannot climb with your hands in the pockets’ (Ugandan proverb). People have to imitate insects as the Scripture says, “You idler, go to the ant, watch her ways…. She secures food in summer and stores up provisions during harvest time (Proverbs 6:6-8). Though small, insects spend their lives performing productive work.
To work is to prove your relevance on earth as a human being. St Paul emphasises, “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should that person eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Although unemployment is rampant today, no one should live in a state of redundancy. Meaningful work occurs when the worker goes about it with commitment. The truth is that work almost always involves challenges in form of mistakes, accidents, sweat, tiredness, poor pay or even no pay. For a lazy person, such challenges would become the basis for avoiding work, with laughable excuses. A lazy person is consumed by odd thoughts and cannot take action until he is sure that no possible risk might arise from his decisions. “The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside; it will kill me in the streets” (Proverbs 22:13).
God commissioned Jonah to preach to the people Nineveh to repent of their wickedness. Instead, Jonah decided to evade the task and fled to Tarshish by the sea. Amidst the storms that almost drowned the entire ship, he was swallowed by a fish. When it belched him ashore, Jonah proceeded to Nineveh and urged penitence. The king and all the people of Nineveh repented and fasted, and God withdrew the impending punishment against that community. Jonah had underrated his own capacity. He did not believe the king and his subjects could listen to him. Yet when he spoke, the entire community abided. The task may be enormous but there is never a justification for evading responsibility. The right option is to seek God’s guidance and protection to accomplish the task at hand. While inside the fish, Jonah prayed to God; he was rescued and empowered to accomplish the task assigned to him. “In my distress, I cried to Yahweh and he answered me” (Jonah 2:2-3).
Jesus Christ was at the verge crucifixion but he still carried a heavy log on which he was to be hanged. “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull…” (John 19:17-18). Jesus Christ demonstrated true human feelings when he cried out, “…..take this cup from me. Yet not what I want but what you want” (Mark 14:34-36). He only understood that however taxing his mission appeared, it was manageable with God’s will. In reality, risks are mere imaginations in a person’s mind. Moreover, opportunities often come disguised as dangerous situations, and people who withstand challenges usually reap great benefits.
As a person, you ought to apply yourself fully to your work and submit all your fears to God. Scripture shows that Daniel performed excellently and outshone all other administrators and governors. The king planned to give him authority over the entire kingdom because he was so trustworthy that neither corruption nor negligence could be found in him. His peers teemed with envy and plotted against him. They persuaded the king to kill him for his commitment to God. As a result, Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. God sent his angel who closed the mouths of the lions and disabled them from harming him. Not even a single injury was inflicted on him because “he had trusted in God” (Daniel 6:3-23).
God will always minimise the risks that may arise from decent behaviour and honest work. One should not violate ethics for momentary survival. Integrity demands that you stick to your work and uphold your noble beliefs even if public opinion does not favour you. "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God… will not fail you or forsake you until all the work … is finished (1 Chronicles 28:20).
Effective performance and ultimate success come from working very hard, with undivided attention and without seeking unfair advantage. The problem today is that many people are happy to be paid for no work done while others find it easy to abandon work on flimsy excuses. Jesus condemns such conduct, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:22).
Lazy people invite poverty onto themselves. Poverty results into misery. “How long, you idler, are you going to lie around? When do you intend to rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little drowsiness and your laziness creeps upon you and then, like a tramp, poverty comes to bring misery like a vagabond” (Proverbs 6:9-11). Trivial matters such as visiting friends or idle talk must not interrupt your work. “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’” (Nehemiah 6:3).
Hard work brings blessings. Your family members are proud of you if you are hard working. The community will admire you if you are a diligent character. Your co-workers will respect you if you are a committed employee. Recruiters will be delighted to hire you if you are a trusted worker.
Work is life. As long as you are alive, work hard. Time will come when you will be free from all work - and that time is after your death. “Fulfil your projects while you are able, for among the dead where you are going, there is no work, no planning, no knowledge, no wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
Venansio Ahabwe is a lay Christian in the Archdiocese of Mbarara.
By Venansio Ahabwe
Source: Gospel Truth, Leadership Magazine