Delighting in the Work

After I stepped down from my job, I did a lot of soul-searching. “Why was I sick? Why did God take away the job I loved? Now what?”

From the library, I checked out the book, “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles. Reading it, and doing the exercises, pointed me to writing. The first thing I wrote was the “Relevant Bible Reading Guide.” That project was in my heart since I was 13.

Presently, I’m reading, “Your Money or Your Life,” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The book addresses the futility of working just for money. Solomon said the same.

Ecclesiastes 4:4, “Then I observed all the work and ambition motivated by envy. What a waste. Smoke. And spitting into the wind.” The Message

* * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 4:8, “A solitary person, completely alone – no children, no family, no friends – yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, ‘Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?’ More smoke. Bad business.” The Message

* * * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 5:11, “The more loot you get, the more looters show up. And what fun is that – to be robbed in broad daylight?” The Message

* * * * * * *

“…our truck driver from Maine…was a registered nurse, a landscaper, a massage therapist and a farmer. ‘Right livelihood’ for him looked like nursing…As a nurse he was caught in a constant flow of charting and report writing…driving a propane truck…he has 1,100 clients and a route that covers many miles of back roads leading to isolated farms and homesteads….Some are old and ill, so he stops for a chat…He might listen to their complaints and help them sort out which to worry about…He’s a ‘healer without pay’…earns his money delivering propane.”

“Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin

* * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 5:3, “Overwork makes for restless sleep….” The Message

* * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 6:7, “We work to feed our appetites; meanwhile our souls go hungry.” The Message

* * * * * * *

“Within of a year of putting the FI [Financial Independence] program into practice, Steve had enough money saved to support himself for a year,…He decided to try writing some stories…To free up time for writing, Steve started bidding his remodeling jobs a lot higher, assuming that most of those contracts wouldn’t come through…Many people had been so impressed with his work…they were willing to pay whatever he asked. He had all the work he wanted, at much higher wages. Wanting to deliver the quality they were paying for, he put even greater care into his carpentry. His reputation for superior craftsmanship spread, bringing in more work. His hours of paid employment went down, his income went up, his anxiety went down, his peace of mind went up and his time to write seemed boundless.”

“Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez & Vicki Robin

* * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 5:12, “Hard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep, whether supper is beans or steak. But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia.” The Message

* * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date.” The Message

* * * * * * * *

Ecclesiastes 5:18, 19, “…the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life…

(19)…make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work….” The Message