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Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Yesterday, we looked at the perspective we need to have when we work...that when we understand that our work, whatever it is, should have "Kingdom" purposes. That's actually what gives plumbing, accounting, the presidency, pastoring, P.E. coaching, etc., it's true meaning.
What is interesting is that we were only halfway through the Psalm when we left off. We left off with, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the food of painful labors, for the Lord gives to His beloved even in his sleep."
But the Psalm doesn't end there and it appears to take a strange twist...it talks about children, of all things. "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward."
Why does the psalmist bring up children in the middle of a discourse on work? My suspicion is that it is following up on the idea that God provides even when we sleep. That when our metabolism is as slow as possible and we're a latent as we are during a day, God is still working on our behalf.
And we didn't have to "work" for children. They are truly a "gift" from God. We don't "work" for gifts. They are freely given.
The same for fruit...it's a reward. A lot happens "behind the scenes" before we ever see fruit. It's amazing how God does so much behind the scenes of our lives, and then we see the "reward."
Children are arrows...weapons in the hand of a warrior, and you're blessed if the quiver is full of them (and, yes, it depends on the capacity of your quiver as to how many arrows are in them...my quiver only holds two arrows!)
So, let's see...children are...
...a gift...
...a reward...
...an arrow in a warrior's hand...
...a blessing...
Children are a heritage from the Lord, and more important than work any day.
It's a matter of perspective. Work should be seen in light of the Kingdom, and in light of the blessings of God. Work is third on our list...at best...and that's a healthy perspective.
Brent 4:10 AM
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