By Jerry Bullock
Daily Record Columnist
—
It is Labor Day weekend and the summer is over. It did not last long, did it? For the students and teachers a new school year is underway. For all of us the vacation season gives way to the work a-day world. I guess that is why we call it Labor Day.
Someone collected the 10 most common excuses given by the workers in a large corporation when something went wrong. Number one was, "I didn't think it was important." Second was, "I forgot." Third was, "I thought you were going to check back with me." The others in order were, "It was not my job. You didn't tell me there was a deadline. I thought we should wait and ask the boss if that was really what he wanted. I was afraid I would get it all wrong. We never did it this way before. I was looking for an easier way to do it. I couldn't find the tools I needed."
Will Rogers said that America has passed through three great ages:
(1) The passing of the Indian
(2) The passing of the buffalo
(3) The passing of the buck.
That is reflected in the statistics of a recent survey of the employees of a large Silicon Valley employer. According to the statistics, 65 percent said they came in late or left early to get out of additional work; 29 percent used illicit drugs to break the boredom of their lives; 34 percent admitted they often came to work under the influence of alcohol.
Labor Day should give us cause to reevaluate the work ethic that has made America the nation it is. It is often called the Christian work ethic because the principle has been stated clearly in the scriptures.
Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men." To the Philippian Church he wrote, "Do all things without grumbling."
The message is that our work is our witness. If we go into the work place late or leave early we dishonor the Christ we say we serve.
The same thing is true if we use drugs or alcohol and let it affect the work we do. The Christian should approach the work place with the attitude that says, "I want to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem."
I believe that is what Paul meant when he urged the Philippians to work without grumbling. It is easy to find problems. There are plenty of them. I have found problems will not go away because I complain about them, but they can be overcome when I decide to do something about them.
The story is told about a man traveling in a foreign country. On the bus there were 1st, 2nd and 3rd class tickets but there did not appear to be any real difference in accommodations on the bus, so he bought a 3rd class ticket. Some miles down the road when the bus broke down he learned the difference. The bus driver announced that they were only a few miles from a rest stop and invited all the third class passengers to get off and push.
A lot of our grumbling is like that. When we get off and push, it is amazing how those problems get resolved. Then the Christian work ethic shows itself and the witness we give as we labor becomes our everyday witness for Jesus Christ.
Jerry Bullock has written his weekly column for the Daily Record for more than 20 years. Jerry is a retired Air Force colonel, an ordained Baptist minister, professional counselor, military historian, speaker, and writer. He is a native Texan tracing his Texas roots to the days of the Republic.
