Have you noticed the mind-shift between our parents’ generation and ours when it comes to work? There are a few things my dad never has enough of… firewood, tools, and time. I’ve never known my father to not have a project, and he doesn’t suffer from hyperactivity–the truth is, he’s a very driven person. Examining our generation (as a 20-something), I’m noticing varying trends–I’ve been around young adults who don’t stop, and young adults who never start; young adults who have ideas and no energy, and young adults who have energy and no ideas; young adults who expect everything to be handed to them, and young adults who expect nothing. Somewhere in the middle lies sanity.
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from any brother in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)
First, this is a great scripture to learn the power of knowing how to study the Bible. When looking at words like tradition, and idleness used together, it’s easy to bring in an assumption that Paul is writing of someone who is spiritually stagnant. However, reading the entire context of this scripture, it’s easy to see that Paul is writing (and God wants us to get) something else.
In the original Greek, the word tradition means “a handing down or a giving up,” conveying the idea of Paul personally “delivering or transmitting something to someone.” In this case, it wasn’t that of some insane ritual one uses to attempt to be right with God; rather, it was a tradition of hard work. Looking at the rest of the chapter, Paul says that those living in Thessalonica should “imitate us… with toil and labor we worked night and day to not be a burden to anyone.” He’s saying he personally handed down a work ethic.
Knowing this, here’s my quick exhortation
Don’t be the person who demands more than gives, who expects things out of others that you wouldn’t expect out of yourself. This type of person drains those above him, below him, and on the same level–family members, leaders, and friends. It blows my mind to attempt to think of how my father could work (at times) 70+ hours a week and keep up with everything it took to maintain a nearly pristine house and still be a good father. Some of us need to look at the example of people like my father and learn something.
On the other end of the pendulum, I’m purposing in my heart that my working grace will never amount to more than my family grace. Some 20-somethings need to learn to work, but others need to learn to play. In Ecclesiastes 2:18, Solomon, looking back at his life, said, “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man that will come after me, and who knows if he will be wise or be a fool?” There is a point where we can “have work,” but there’s also a point where work can “have us.” It’s possible to get so caught up in work/school/life, that we miss out on life. We can overwork to fill the lack in our sense of security, identity, worth. But our compulsions can have us looking back at life and saying, “I wish I would have enjoyed myself a little more.” (By the way, there aren’t many 20-somethings that I’ve had this conversation with, so if you think you’re here, you should probably ask the opinion of a leader in your life.)
I’m purposing my heart to get in the middle of the extremes–to work hard, AND enjoy the ride. What about you?
Work, Home, Life