The thought struck me that one of the benefits of hard work is the time after the work is done. Why am I enjoying this tea and the comfort of the lawn chair so much? I think it is because of the hard work I put in before the time of rest. So many today want to change things for the better but are unwilling to work hard to do it.
There are those who are unwilling to work hard, and they are usually the ones who condemn hard work or equate it to not being as intelligent as others. The fact is this: the Bible celebrates hard work and praises it. Hard work has proven to lead to excellence. Malcolm Gladwell references this truth in his book, The Outliers. He has a chapter in this book entitled, 10,000 Hours. This is the practice threshold that, once crossed, tends to produce excellence. Gladwell references Bill Gates and the Beatles as two examples of those who crossed that 10,000 hour practice threshold. Is it a coincidence that their success came after crossing that threshold?
As I explained this concept to my son this morning and tried to model it in the hot sun, he asked a interesting question. "Dad, how can you tell if someone is hard worker or just pretending?" Good question! I posed this question to some of the people I know a while back and these are some the responses I received.
Hard workers are not lazy.
Hard workers are servants.
Hard workers do not talk about all their accomplishments because everyone can see them.
Hard workers tend to be humble because their work is hard and never over.
Hard workers are outward focused and not preoccupied with themselves.
Hard workers are always busy and always moving.
Hard workers understand what their strengths and weaknesses are.
The breeze hits me in the face as I sip my peach tea out on the screen porch. I have forgotten how good hard work can feel, and how good a peach tea and a lawn chair can feel after hard work.
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