The Fruits of Your Labor (Hard Work)

We might think work is part of the curse from Adam and Eve’s sin, but work was around long before that. The Bible says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). Sin later added a dimension of futility and frustration, but that doesn’t mean Adam wasn’t working hard before the fall.

God created us to engage in productive, creative work. We were made in his image, after all, and he’s a hard worker with an infinite capacity to build and create.

Are you willing to work hard and gather little by little? We’re not talking about just money, either. Work is how you grow in influence, build a company, and raise a family. It’s how you create a strong marriage. It’s how you develop genuine, lifelong friendships. It’s how you establish your reputation. There are no shortcuts to truly valuable things.

We sometimes avoid hard work because it’s not easy, don’t we? It’s often inconvenient, unenjoyable, and boring. In a dopamine-driven society, work feels like the opposite of what we want to do.

But we are wise to remember that hard work holds high value. When you work, there are usually two things happening simultaneously. First, you’re moving closer to the reward of your labor. Second, you’re being transformed on the inside. Both of those are valuable, but the second is more important than the first because it’s permanent.

Sadly, we usually want things as quickly and easily as possible because we value external results such as money, possessions, and comfort. But God doesn’t mind when things take longer and require more effort because he values internal results: character transformation, wisdom, inner peace, integrity, and love.

What’s more, hard work will get you into positions and take you places that ability alone cannot. While it’s tempting to rely on skill, luck, connections, cheating, or any other “shortcut,” you aren’t doing yourself any favors by skipping the hard parts. They are making you the person you need to become.

So keep going, keep your eyes on the goal, and eventually your hard work will pay off.

Father, thank you for creating me to work. Would you help me to view it as a blessing and a means to grow closer to you? Amen.

Was this plan helpful? We adapted this plan from The Bumpy Road to Better: Unlocking the Hidden Power in Hard Things by Tim Timberlake. Check it out for more.