The Bible emphasizes the importance of work, viewing it as a divinely ordained activity, and a way to honor God. After the creation of man, the Bible says in Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Being made in God’s own image, the man He formed had an innate need and desire to produce and work.
Work is actually food for our souls. Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Notice it doesn’t say the bank account of the diligent is richly supplied. It says our souls are satisfied.
At our two shelters, we recognize this God-given quality, and we encourage hard work and responsibility. One of our core values says, “We champion self-sufficiency, and we promote, encourage and help every person to provide for themselves and their family.”
Built into our programs and services are opportunities for men and women to work and receive job training. They can be a part of a team that has specific responsibilities. In some cases, they are promoted to leadership roles. All this is designed to help them be prepared to enter the workforce.
We’ve noticed that in many cases, working motivates a person to better themselves. It gives them a sense of purpose and a reason to live.
Cody, a New Beginnings student, stopped me in the hall the other day with a proud look on his face. He asked me, “Did you see the yard? Did you like it?” He had meticulously hand mowed and trimmed the yard at the Mission the day before and he wanted me to know it. It gave him great satisfaction to accomplish something, and he even told me that he planned to keep it that way. Who knew that work, hard work, could give a once wayward young man a reason to get up in the morning.
