God has blessed me with the renewal of friendship with a dear lady I met when I was on the road as a college recruiter. She was a teacher for many years and I had the honor of presenting to her classes during her tenure. She has now retired and God has placed her in a wonderful position at her home church and we were miraculously re-connected at a conference this past March. I love how the Lord draws us together for His glory and our good pleasure and each week, Theresa sends an encouraging email that lands in my mailbox on Monday mornings. Her words are a blessing and I can think of no better way to say what she has -- this is something I believe and try to inspire in others ... "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." I hope you enjoy her words this morning...Love you Theresa!!
ARE YOU “HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY” IN YOUR CAREER/LIFE?
I love the phrase “Happy, Happy, Happy” from the Duck Dynasty television show. Back in December when Alvin and I were putting up our Christmas tree, a flower vase fell off the fireplace hearth and broke. Alvin said, “That not make wife happy, happy, happy!” Yes, I was disappointed, but I had to laugh at how he handled the situation.
When I was teaching high school students, I taught a unit on careers. Students would take an aptitude test to determine possible careers to match their skills and interests. Then, students would choose a career from their list to research. One of the things I tried to emphasize to my students was to choose a career in which they would be happy and not to choose one just because the salary attracted them. Before retirement, we spend a great deal of our lives in the workplace; therefore, we should enjoy that time. All jobs have some stress and unpleasant tasks, but working at something you really enjoy doing makes the time go by so much faster.
This past year, I met a cashier in a grocery store named Amanda. She sent a stock boy to replace an item of mine that she had noticed had a hole in it. I complemented Amanda on noticing the hole, and she shared with me how much she enjoyed her job. After asking her a few questions, I learned that she had previously worked at a totally different job that paid more, but was a high-stress job. Amanda expressed to me how happy she was that she had made the career change, and it certainly showed in her smile and attitude.
When our school janitor was asked by someone why he always seemed so happy when working, he replied that he did not work for man, but for the Lord. He literally lived out Ephesians 6:8: “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord.”
Both the cashier and the janitor were “happy, happy, happy,” and as a result, they made those around them much happier. Draw near to the Lord, and he will make your life happy no matter what your circumstances. This is more than mere happiness; this is pure joy! The word joy bring to mind the children’s song with the phrase, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay. “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.” (Psalm 19:8) Whether you are working or retired, if you are not joyful, perhaps, it is time to prayerfully consider some changes in your life.
