Oct. 24, 2021

The concept of work has fallen upon hard times in our leisure-oriented culture that seems to offer but two options. The first and more popular option is the welfare system that provides food, rent, utilities, health care, even a secondary education free of charge. Many on welfare lose sight of the dignity that work brings, and they learn instead to expect support from others. On the other extreme is the second and less popular option of work holism. Workaholics neglect family, friends, even their health to make a mark on the world through their work. But the Bible strikes a balance, encouraging us to work diligently, not obsessively, and to help those who cannot work, and in the book of Proverbs Solomon addresses the wisdom of diligence by both commending the hard-working and confronting the lazy.