Wiser and Happier: Special Military Edition from Time of GraceSample

Work Ethic Todd Rundgren got it right with his song “Bang the Drum All Day.” That sound track runs in most guys’ brains (and probably a lot of women’s too)—banging on a drum sounds better than working all day, right? When children are babies, their parents are their servants, even slaves, because they are so helpless. Teenagers kind of want it to stay that way. Teaching my own children to work willingly has proven to be one of the hardest aspects of my parenting (and it brings back faint memories of my own resistance to my father). They don’t want to work. I think Satan himself wears a feed cap that says, “Take this job and shove it.” Let us pray for God’s help and strength and guidance so that this generation of adults does not fail to pass on God’s mind-set to the next. “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death” (Proverbs 19:18). Once upon a time, someone had to teach you the right way to do things. Polishing boots, ironing cammies, standing at attention, and saluting your superiors didn’t come to you naturally. In fact, part of you naturally resisted all of the rituals associated with military life. Perhaps part of you still does. But you have something now that you didn’t back then: discipline. Having discipline doesn’t mean the job is easier, but it does mean you find it easier to get to work. Not doing the job isn’t an option. Don’t let Satan tell you it is. Hey--take this job and love it.