"Come Up"

Came right up when he called me,

Ride up, he shouted loudly,

And that was when I spurred my pony on.

It didn’t pay to dawdle,

And he would never coddle,

Someone slow ‘cause they would soon be gone.

Dad was in a hurry,

He worked all in a flurry,

Would cuss you if you didn’t do it fast.

And he could sure outwork you,

With all he thought to tend to,

His stamina I never could outlast.

What did all that teach me,

That if you do it right, see,

You get ‘er done and do it mighty quick.

Always burning daylight,

We’re gonna work till it’s night,

And never fear to hit an extra lick.

Got grown and on my own, then,

Away from Dad and all kin,

Applied the ethic my Dad gave to me.

A-trying hard to just find,

No lazy bones or that kind,,

With whatever I was doing, don’t you see.

And when my Dad was dying,

I saw that he was trying,

To get well so that he could work some more.

But then he had to let go,

Of this old world and it’s show,

So he could cross to heaven’s golden shore.

A-runnin’ and a-tryin’,

A-sellin’ and a-buyin’,

Nothing wrong with work ‘cause it’s a gift.

But something too frenetic,

Can really turn pathetic,

And be a burden only God can lift.

It’s being before doing,

And never misconstruing,

What in life is something we must do.

Don’t let rushing drive you,

Just so you can get through,

Let’s pray about that speeding limit, too.

Your pace, it really matters,

Or your contentment shatters,

Don’t run past all that gives you peace.

Work and make your living,

But don’t miss what is giving,

The happiness and joy of God’s release.

“…Those unwilling to work will not get to eat…” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, NLT)

Clearly, the Bible teaches us that work is a good thing. Adam was assigned to care for the garden before he and Eve fell into sin. Working is part of the honorable life God wants us to lead, and we should take it seriously. On the other hand, we can fall prey to workaholism, which means our work becomes an addictive obsession that is idolatrous and robs us of our peace and intimacy with God. Balancing life between work, play and worship is the work of the Holy Spirit. Finding the spiritual priority of God’s kingdom with Jesus first, then family, and then other relationships is the life He wants us to have. God graces us with the gift of work as a way to generate income, be generous with others, and connect with a world who needs to know Christ.

Lord, bless our work and help us to balance it with all that You want us to do, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Dane, dondane.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.