A LEGACY OF WORK
Reflecting on our series through 2nd Thessalonians
“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.”
When Rob asked me to highlight the importance of work from this passage, my mind was turning with where to start because I have so many thoughts on work. But I want to highlight the legacy or tradition of work as it states in 2 Thessalonians but I need to go back a little first to get there.
Over the past five years or so, work has been heavy on my mind and heart for how that looks for me personally within my own family and in our neighborhood. For time's sake I won’t go into the whole story but in 2017, the Lord really used the book of Haggai to bring about personal-cleansing and to give me promises and encouragement in many different areas. One of those promises was/is work in North Highland. It was evident through conversations within our Highland tribe and with others living here that our community needed to work. God created work and work is good. Like Casey Lynch referenced, work was here before the fall - it is not punishment. The toil and the struggle, perhaps, yes, but not work itself.
Through many conversations we began to see that the barriers keeping so many from work were not something that could be solved by filling out an application and purchasing a bus ticket. There were/are barriers to work - lack of education, no transportation, no childcare, no experience, criminal backgrounds. So the praying began. As Carrie always says, before we can begin anything at Truth Spring and Highland, we pray and we plan. Little did we know that we were praying for what is now Truth Spring Trade School but the promises from the Lord were already there in 2017/2018. One of the first for me was from Haggai 2:4-5. “... Be strong, all you people of the land - this is the Lord’s declaration. Work! For I am with you - the declaration of the Lord of Armies. This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.”
The Lord is reminding those returning to Jerusalem that he was the same God who rescued their ancestors from a life of slavery from Egypt. So although their work and command was to rebuild the temple, this is the command and promise the Lord has given us. “Be strong, all you people of North Highland, this is the Lord’s declaration. Work! For I am with you…This is the promise I made to you when you came out of slavery - slavery to addiction, harmful generational cycles, poor decisions, self-doubt, fear, fill in the blank and my Spirit is present among YOU, don’t be afraid.”
So we have the command to work which goes along with the command to not be idle in 2 Thessalonians, and we have the promise that the Spirit of the Lord is providing strength to follow through and break the chains that might be keeping us from working.
Work is good. That does not mean it is not hard. That does not mean that we (talking to myself here) always go into work in the right state of mind and more importantly the right heart alignment. Once again the Lord used the book of Haggai to change my heart. Multiple times in this book, the Lord tells the people to “think carefully about their ways”. Haggai 2:15-16b says “Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple, what state were you in?” They were rebuilding the temple, but they were coming up short. The Lord had struck the work of their hands. They were toiling because their hearts and desires were not right with the Lord. Once they confessed and turned to him, everything changed and the Lord granted the people his blessing. We might not be rebuilding a physical temple everyday but once we give our heart to Jesus, our bodies are then his temple. We are a reflection of Him. As we go to work we need to think carefully about the state of our hearts and ask the Lord to reveal what state our hearts are in. There is no way we can be ready to pour into our families first nor the work the Lord provides if we are not actively seeking him.
So now we have the command to work, the strength to work, the heart alignment to work and now we have the joy of the Lord’s blessing of work. I believe that work in the right state of mind is a blessing, a legacy we get to pass down to our children and share with our community. 2 Thessalonians references the tradition that the Thessalonians received from Paul and that they should imitate Paul and his companions as they were not idle. Our children are watching us. Our neighbors are watching us. Our children will imitate us - good or bad. I am thankful that my parents and grandparents have given me the legacy of work. I don’t take that for granted. And if you were not given that legacy, it is not too late. The promise is there for each of us.
In Trade School we constantly refer and reflect on Isaiah 61:1-4. Through Jesus we are all given the opportunity to become oaks of righteousness in our families and in our communities, plantings of the Lord that he may be glorified. We have the opportunity to rebuild the ancient ruins and desolations of many generations. We have the joy of working in a way that our children will be proud to imitate us and carry on our traditions not because of what we do for a living but of who we represent in our work.
Megan Holbrook