Enjoy Your Work

Sometimes it is hard to enjoy your work. Cleaning up a messy house is work that is no fun at all. If you watch my husband tackle a big job you will see him model something we all need to mimic. At the end of a busy day of work, whether the project is complete or still in process, I can guarantee you will see him lying out on the floor or sitting down to sit back and take it all in. One time when we were remodeling our kitchen I found him lying on the hard cold floor and smiling. I asked him what he was doing. He said, “I’m enjoying what I got done.”

Dear Friend, in those words is a morsel of wisdom that we cannot afford to ignore. We need to find ways to be thankful and happy with the whole process, not just the completion.

When I read the creation accounts in the Bible I see that God did this over His work. He enjoyed it. He did His work for the day and then He looked over it with approval and said, “This is good.” He did this on the first day of creation as well as the last. God stopped and enjoyed the work of the day even though there was still work for tomorrow.

So, how does this look for you and I, while we are knee deep in dirty laundry, diapers to change, beds to make, floors to sweep, and children to train and teach?

Each time you clean something take the time to marvel at the work you’ve accomplished. Look at the bed that is made and remind yourself how nice that room looks when the bed is made. Of course, someone is going to crawl up on it today and muss it up but for now, enjoy it! Let your eyes linger on those glorious shelves that for the moment are nicely arranged. Oooh and ahhh over that sparkling clean mirror, even if there are 14 more that are still covered with dust, watermarks, or sweet fingerprints. Oh, you mopped the kitchen floor but didn’t get to the dining room before the baby woke up? Go get the baby and on the way be sure and enjoy the clean floor instead of focusing on the one you didn’t get to.

In Psalm 84:5 God says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca,” now, there’s the kind of thing I am talking about. Raising children, remodeling kitchens, and pregnancy, are just a few of the many processes or journeys we will all take in our lives. This verse goes on to say that on the pilgrimage – not when they reached their destination - “they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength ’til each appears before God in Zion.” There’s our goal as a mom; to enjoy the journey.

Yes, keeping our eyes on the end goal and continuing to strive for it are vital things but so is enjoying the blessings along the way. The more you stop and smell the roses, even if they are surrounded by weeds, the more you will want to keep your house tidy and in order. The more you enjoy the work you get done, you will find your heart softer, and your spirit permeated with a spirit of thankfulness for the ongoing work He has entrusted to you.

Don’t let yourself get so busy or so focused on what you didn’t get done that you don’t enjoy what you did get done.