Not a very pretty title is it? I mean who wants to think of hard, back breaking work as a good thing- it’s not our natural intuition to think “Manual labor, now that’s beautiful”. But lately I’ve been thinking what a wonderful blessing it is to put our hand to work, to hard difficult work.
We have quite a few unfinished aspects to our almost finished house, so I know there’s a lot of work to be done as the weather warms up. However those projects aren’t quite here yet, (still in that spring-to-winter-to-spring whiplash weather) so the other day, when it was in the spring part of the whip lash, I took a rake and just went to town on the future gardens and flower beds. I couldn’t wait to get my hands dirty, be out in the beautiful, blinding sun and just work.
So work I did, clearing the old dead bushes and brush so that new growth can appear. And you know what? It felt so good. I think there’s something humanly good about working hard outside. It makes you physically tired and thus sleep better. Your thoughts come and float away in the breeze. Not to mention the simple fact that you’re breathing in fresh, natural air. Immediately both my daughter and my attitude changed drastically just by stepping foot outside the house. Instead of irritated, we both felt invigorated. Instead of snappy we became sincere. She was so helpful and I was much more patient.
Granted, it’s not always whimsical. Currently there are no flowers coming up, almost everything is dead, and there’s a lot of work to be done. It can feel like we’re chasing an uphill battle with property to develop and maintain. But that feeling only comes when my perspective is off, when I’m thinking about my running to-do list. Instead, I need reminded daily of the joys of putting my hand to the plow and cultivating a generational legacy of hard work and long-suffering. Of being good stewards over what God has given us.
We were doing work that was more difficult and strenuous, but that didn’t matter. We had a project set before us, a task with a goal, and accomplished it. I know, in my mind, how effective it is to go outdoors. But in my heart, I want to choose what’s easy. Bundling them up, dealing with the mud or the snow or the rain is not easy. Teaching a toddler to use a rake or showing them how to pull weeds isn’t easy either. But it’s always worth the sacrifice. Always.
I’m here reminding myself – next time, don’t choose what is easy over what is good. Next time you get the opportunity (yes, opportunity) to work hard, remember that it is a blessing. That with all the back aches, neck pains, and blisters, there is still beauty in the midst of labor. And perhaps labor is beautiful in its own difficult way.
