If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.

Ecclesiastes 10:18, NIV (1978)

Most men do not wear out, they rust out. Colonel Harlan Sanders

I like Colonel Sanders! As the legend goes, the future founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken went out to his mailbox shortly after his 65th birthday and was met with his first "retirement" check from the government. He decided that he was not ready to be put out to pasture quite yet, so he took that retirement check and turned it into a business that eventually became one of the largest fast-food franchises in the world. His observation that you see above really was a motivating factor for him - he did not want to just sit and rust, he wanted to be useful.

Today is opening day of lawnmowing season. I know that there is probably something wrong with me (my wife agrees, though she thinks the word "probably" is completely unnecessary) but I always look forward to this time of year. After the long winter's months of inactivity, our bathroom scales always tend to remind me that my "rafters" are indeed sagging, and that it is time to get to work before the rook falls in.

And I have found through the years that hard work makes me happy.

I think most people would agree, despite their protests to the contrary. I often hear people complain about the load of work they might be experiencing from time to time, but if you scratch just a little beneath the surface of those complaints, I believe that you will find that they are secretly bragging, because hard work has a way of stirring the blood and making one feel useful. And what better way to feel useful than to have satisfying work that must be done lest things start to fall apart?

We all admire those firemen who answer the alarm and rush to put out the fire before it spreads. Their work is hard, but it is also vital to the safety and well-being of just about everyone in the community. In a like manner, hard work for us is a blessing, and there is no greater need for hard work than in our service to the Master. As Jesus so beautifully put it: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." (Matthew 9:37-38)

So, workers, where are you? You know that the work is both vital to the souls of others and that it will be satisfying to you. And in a way, it is like the work of the fireman: By getting to this important work, we can not only do the work that God has called us to, but we can literally spare others from the flames! Since that is the case, let's get to the work! You know that you will like it, and people are counting on you to do what is needed. I believe we will find that if we will do both our physical work and that which is spiritual, that we will be able to go to our graves at a ripe old age with the satisfaction of knowing that we were one of those noble few who wore out, rather than being just another one of the many who simply rusted out from inactivity.