"Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."
--Proverbs 23:4-5


Do you find yourself exhuasted at the end of the day? Maybe in the middle of it? Is it what you are doing that wears you out or what you are trying to accomplish? As you go through your day, what is your goal? Is what you are doing putting food on the table? does it bring glory to God? Are you doing it to put food on the table or to further the kingdom of Christ?

I'm asking myself these questions and don't like the answers of late. I don't think my coworkers or anyone looking from the outside in would see my daily toil -or attitude in performing it - as very God-glorifying. Of course, it is His view that matters, but if they see things this way it is probably strong evidence that He isn't too excited either.

When I was young I wanted to be rich and live in a castle. Now I'd prefer a little cabin and stable serenity. I don't work to get rich but it isn't the amount that really makes the point of the scripture above, is it? It is the focus of our drive. While most of us are "simply trying to make ends meet" in our own minds, we often make that task more and more difficult by stretching the ends with nicer vehicles, clothes and homes. I know this isn't true for all of us, but we need to be honest with ourselves when we are evaluating our lives, looking at why we do what we do or look at what we need to be doing.

Many of us, maybe most, don't have jobs that we find bringing us fulfillment in a real sense, or that we see God being glorified through. Often, this is more a result of our motivation or attitude that the details of the job itself. As we get caught up in the details of our work we lose focus of life. At the same time, I don't believe that we are all meant to find fulfillment in our work but in what we do to serve the Father. For many a job is just that, a way to makes ends meet (or come as close as possible). For others, there is fulfillment and service in everything they do.

If you aren't fulfilled in what you do to earn a living, and you aren't finding it in your life outside of work - which is the most important part of life anyway - it is time to re-evaluate. Maybe you do need a new job, or maybe you just need a new perspecitve. Maybe it is just a matter of refocusing on meeting the needs of others because as we reach out to lift their burdens we find ours tend to fade.

Father, as I look inward too often and upward too seldom, I pray that you will help me to find ways to reach out to those around me in a way that leads them to see You living in me. Let me focus outwardly on their needs and in so doing, leave room for you to move into the space left when the me-worries leave. I love you Father and need you more than life itself. In Jesus' name, Amen.

In His love,

Brad