August 5 is “Work Like a Dog Day.” Sometimes we think about work and just see all of the negatives, but there are many blessings we can find in working hard if we just look for them:
1. Work provides for our basic needs. It puts a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs.
2. Sometimes it can provide us with the extras—things like buying something special for our spouses or children or taking that long-anticipated trip to an exotic locale.
3. It allows us to give to people who need a helping hand, whether it’s the single mom struggling to make ends meet or senior citizens whose expenses are more than their monthly income.
4. Working hard allows us to tithe. After all, everything that we have comes from God.
5. Work helps us donate to missions at home and abroad. Those funds might help a teen center get kids off the streets, or it might provide food and clothes for an orphanage clear across the world.
6. Working hard makes us feel good. There’s a true pride in seeing the results of our labors, in knowing that we’ve made a difference.
7. Working allows us to be a good example for our children and grandchildren.
8. Work bonds family, friends and co-workers—it’s always more fun when we work together.
9. Work means we have something to do and that we have the physical and mental abilities to do it.
Today would be a great time to move forward with the tasks that God’s called us to do. The best formula for success comes from Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
