tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post3092371189066978480..comments2024-01-30T11:58:34.293-05:00Comments on Every Square Inch: In Praise of Hard WorkUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-22038321667908948322008-09-10T19:23:00.000-05:002008-09-10T19:23:00.000-05:00RLP - I agree that there have always been people w...RLP - I agree that there have always been people who shun work because of laziness, people who are consumed by work and people who strike a good balance. <BR/><BR/>But I think in recent years, there's been a view perpetuated in Christian circles a low view of hard work - that working hard, being engaged with your work is incompatible with being a good husband, father and committed Christian.Every Square Inchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11636924397725214300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-90939219978463229012008-09-08T17:19:00.000-05:002008-09-08T17:19:00.000-05:00I think the work ethic as as much in vogue today a...I think the work ethic as as much in vogue today as ever. A certain percentage of people are lazy. Always have been, always will be. A certain percentage have a good, solid work ethic that is not all-consuming and leaves time for leisure, rest and play. Always have been, always will be people like this. And a certain percentage of people make a god out of work and work themselves and their families to death. Workaholics. Always have been people like that, always will be.<BR/><BR/>It's a question of where you stand and what you need to hear. Some people have to be taught to rest. That is a spiritual lesson. Some need to be taught to work. That too is a spiritual lesson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-35024751288859446782008-09-08T15:16:00.000-05:002008-09-08T15:16:00.000-05:00I'm not claiming to have a perfect work ethic, but...I'm not claiming to have a perfect work ethic, but don't you just love it when you get behind a project that you are totally engrossed in? If it's physical, you tap into reserves of energy for strength and speed, and if it's mental, you find all kinds of creativity or temporarily perfect memory.Craver Viihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12882284402568264182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-2297587269250279912008-09-07T19:37:00.000-05:002008-09-07T19:37:00.000-05:00ESI - as much as I know Craver's comment is Craver...ESI - as much as I know Craver's comment is Craver being Craver and bringing a smile to our faces, I find that this is pretty much what I'm doing right now - staring at my work instead of doing it. I realize that it is, in part, a response to the strange job situation of a terminal contract with the "but we want you to stay if..." comments - and yet now having that in writing. It also is partially due to not knowing what I want to do or what I should be doing. But at the end of the day, its just summing up to not working - or at least not working well enough or even enough. So I find this post to be of great encouragment - and conviction - we are called to work hard - to study to show ourselves approved. So, thanks for posting it!Halfmom, AKA, Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545176965972986964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-91169528935402981152008-09-06T09:45:00.000-05:002008-09-06T09:45:00.000-05:00Ted - your comment about rest is true - we all nee...Ted - your comment about rest is true - we all need rest...God made us to need rest...it's humble to acknowledge that we need rest.<BR/><BR/>What do you think about sam van eman's reference to the Bob Pierce article - an article about a leader who worked so hard, he burned out and left a trial of tragic consequences?Every Square Inchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11636924397725214300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-80982051553391360552008-09-06T07:31:00.000-05:002008-09-06T07:31:00.000-05:00ESI, I've tagged you. Please don't feel obligated,...ESI, I've <A HREF="http://communityofjesus.blogspot.com/2008/09/for-better-for-worse-5-ways-blogging.html" REL="nofollow">tagged you</A>. Please don't feel obligated, though.Ted M. Gossardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10580691315315271791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-38055794150137332082008-09-05T23:26:00.000-05:002008-09-05T23:26:00.000-05:00I was chagrined to hear a brother who is a team le...I was chagrined to hear a brother who is a team leader in a work place say that he doesn't believe in working hard, but in working smart. Of course he probably has a very valid point, and it needs to be seen for what it is in context. But what Scripture calls us to is to put our whole selves in what we do out of love for God and of our neighbor as ourselves. To work hard so as to win the respect of outsiders, to do all as to the glory of God.<BR/><BR/>I love your examples here. The two hardest workers I've known are my own mother (and my father was no slacker) and my father's mother. They both lived through the Great Depression and they exemplified/y well Proverbs 31. I also think of John Wesley's mother, Susana. Without her there would have been no John and Charles. To read about that is fascinating.<BR/><BR/>I do think there needs to be a balance between work and rest. And like anything else, work can end up becoming idolatrous, as we become devoted to some end in it other than God himself and his glory, along with using our gifts to secure his provision for us and our families in our work.Ted M. Gossardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10580691315315271791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-83079987998513821142008-09-05T22:09:00.000-05:002008-09-05T22:09:00.000-05:00craver, you always bring a smile with your comment...craver, you always bring a smile with your commentsEvery Square Inchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11636924397725214300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-35907421138871598802008-09-04T22:41:00.000-05:002008-09-04T22:41:00.000-05:00Work fascinates me; I could sit and watch it for h...Work fascinates me; I could sit and watch it for hours. ;-)<BR/><BR/>I don't remember where I heard that, but it's always made me laugh.<BR/><BR/>I think less people today know the meaning of hard work compared to a couple generations ago.Craver Viihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12882284402568264182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-1222423972266555222008-09-04T18:15:00.000-05:002008-09-04T18:15:00.000-05:00SamThanks referencing the article - it's a sad rem...Sam<BR/><BR/>Thanks referencing the article - it's a sad reminder of how the pursuit of something that seems so good can end up so wrong.<BR/><BR/>Where do you think Bob Pierce went wrong? What are some of the traps to avoid?Every Square Inchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11636924397725214300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27951012.post-77450458919377304052008-09-04T14:10:00.000-05:002008-09-04T14:10:00.000-05:00I admit that I'm inspired by people like these and...I admit that I'm inspired by people like these and want to follow in their footsteps. But ever since I read an <A HREF="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/march/19.56.html" REL="nofollow">article</A> about Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision and Samaritan's Purse, I see tragedy more than success.<BR/><BR/>(Note: Had I read the article before becoming a husband and father, I would have seen success more than tragedy.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125792591159561789noreply@blogger.com