Why Should We Work?

There is a tendency in most of us at times not to do anything that is difficult to do, not to perform any unpleasant service, engage in any inconvenient activity. The tendency is often more apparent in our younger years when we haven’t yet learned some things which later we find that we must learn.

In every family, in every home, in every business and community and country, there are difficult, tiresome, tedious things to do—and someone has to do them. But sometimes young people grow up expecting everything to be placed before them, without much effort on their part, and sometimes say: “Why should we work?” “why should we do anything we don’t want to do?” “Why should we spend any part of our precious days doing difficult things when there are easier and more pleasant pastimes.”

There are many answers to this kind of questioning. One is this: That it was a wise and loving Gather who gave us work to do, a Father who knows our needs and who said, “Thou shalt labor.” (not that work doesn’t become monotonous at times. Anything can become monotonous. Even so-called play or pleasure can become monotonous. And above all, idleness can become boring.)

But it wasn’t intended that any of us should live effortlessly of follow our won irresponsible pleasure. Work is one of the greatest gifts that God has given: not just the labor required for actual existence (even the dumb beasts do what they must do for sheer sustenance), but work done beyond sheer necessity, work and effort for the opportunity to learn, for the power to improve, for the satisfaction of serving, of creating, of doing, of discovering.

One of the greatest lessons of life is to learn to find satisfaction in doing things we ought to want to do, even when we don’t want to do them. Any day is a disappointing day if it is allowed to pass without some sincere sense of accomplishment.