“With all my heart I’m waiting for You, Lord. I trust Your promises." ~ Psalm
130:5
The coolest professions involve
fighting fires, carrying a gun, or driving massive machines that could flatten
houses. Manuel’s was not one of those; he
moved furniture.
While nearly all jobs have a purpose (or they wouldn’t
exist), some jobs require a different kind of resilience. Manuel’s’ was the kind that made him strong
enough to bend steel and yet limp like wet laundry from exhaustion. Every day was ‘Moving Day’ for him.
Imagine the murderous intent of stairs and lifts, and the back
pain to go with it . . . every single day.
And if that’s not enough, make a quick mental list of the other health
hazards of the trade.
Add muscle strain and tearing from days of strenuous lifting
and the possibility of dropping some of those heavy objects on your foot. Then there are arm injuries, shoulder and
elbow injuries, and the constant potential of slipping and falling.
The hours were long and the pay was low. The heat was oppressive in the summer; cold
was constant in the winter. Cracked
lips, scaly skin and frequent headaches screamed of the dehydration that goes
hand-in-hand with exhaustion. Lack of
restful sleep breeds fuzzy thinking, chemical imbalances and behavioral
instability.
Manuel tried to keep his spirits up, but he felt himself
wearing down. Every morning he’d strap
on an uncomfortably tight back brace and pull on worn out work boots. And every night he’d drag himself home
smelling of dirt and sweat and collapse on the bed (or couch) and fall asleep -
just to wake up the next day and repeat the process over again.
One particularly difficult day, Manuel felt he could take no
more. “Why am I working myself to death
here just to survive? This is the worst
job ever? God, why are you punishing me
so?” he thought to himself.
He wasn't really expecting an answer, but God loves to
surprise us. As Manuel struggled up the
steps to his front door, he found all three of his young children waiting for him
with smiling faces. "Daddy,
Daddy!" his youngest son yelled.
Manuel smiled and hugged them all. Then he laughed for the first time in days
and sat down peacefully. It was just the
answer he needed: “We work to live . . . but we live to love.”
Being a dad can be tough, it can be exhausting, and it can
totally challenge your patience. But I
hope this inspires you to step it up a notch and give your kids the childhood
they'll always remember you for - because that's the best job anyone could ever
imagine.
Lord, we’re tempted to put our faith in things
that may eventually disappoint us. We
hope a doctor will heal us, a teacher will pass us, or a friend will help us. But it’s only through our faith in You that
we gain abundant and everlasting joy. Amen
