August 4, 2011 7:07 p.m.

A homeschooling mother of eight children I know has been treated for leukemia this year and just recovered from a stem cell transplant.  Yesterday she posted a status update to her Facebook, something like this…

Liver ultrasound this morning, a couple short errands, reading lesson with R, cleaning up our bedroom, signing up for homeschool P.E., ordering school books for the fall, made ham scalloped potatoes for supper, sending a wedding gift, finishing up a scrapbook... days like these make me feel like... SHE'S BAAAACK!

Lord, forgive me for any time I have complained about all the meaningful tasks that I have to do in a long day.

God created us for work.

Last week when my children were in music camp, it was a change to my routine.  I had a few hours to myself each morning for four mornings.  On three of these mornings I visited different branches of our county library.  Each morning, I noticed that the computer areas were always about full of people sitting at a PC and staring at the screen.  They stayed there the entire time I was there.  They were doing seemingly serious work on the computer, except when I stood behind some of them, I discovered that they were playing computer games and wandering around Facebook.  Grown adults in their most productive years.  Adults who were either unemployed or underemployed.  It made me wonder how many such adults were filling the computer screens of the libraries of America.  ??  How many such adults were filling the computer screens of their homes in the same way.  ??  Today’s computer has become yesterday’s daytime TV. 

Cruel punishment.  I think of stories I read about prisoners in work camps in Eastern Europe back in the early 20th century.  How their captors would make them sweat and slave away over several days moving a huge mound of dirt from the west end of the compound to the east end.  Right down to the last shovelful.  And then how they were made to move that dirt pile back again to the west end.  Meaningless, hopeless work.

I thought about how I am not unemployed, nor am I underemployed.  No, I might not be on any company’s payroll anywhere.  I might be considered by the world to be a retired electrical engineer, a stay-at-home mom, a homemaker, a housewife.  But I am definitely not underemployed.  As long as I have to pick and choose what I have time to do among many tasks that I would like to do, as long as I have to be thoughtful about the number of activities that I schedule into each week so as not to overload us, as long as I struggle to shore up time for private reading and exercise, as long as I go through most of the day without getting a spare moment to collapse into my recliner, then I am definitely not underemployed. 

Our violin teacher yesterday reported to me that one of her other students has just begun to be “home-educated”.  She was curious about this, and asked me what my home teaching day was like.  When I told her, she sat shaking her head with a smile.  Meaningful work.  I am blessed with much meaningful work.   I am very blessed.  Thank you, Lord, for giving me plenty of what you created me to do.  May I always stay employed by You, always doing construction work for Your Kingdom.  Thank you for filling my days with so many important tasks that I have to prioritize.  Thank you for sparing me from the horror of too many hours to fill, like those unfortunate souls in the public library.  I am among the most blessed of all.

Thank You for meaningful work. 

We will probably have much meaningful work to do in heaven.  We should start to enjoy it here.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  Genesis 2:15.

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

2 Thessalonians 3: 7-10.

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise! 
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler, 
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep? 
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest— 
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.  

Proverbs 6: 6-11

The lazy do not roast any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

Proverbs 12:27