2 Sisters 1 Faith: The Blessing of Working Hard

A couple of weeks ago I went out into my yard and was completely dismayed! Life has been so busy that mowing the lawn and removing the weeds was NOT in the schedule. However, it HAD to be done. While visiting with a friend, it was brought to my attention that their son had a yard business. Now, to be honest, I was a little concerned that MY yard would be too much for this young man. It's a large backyard which was over grown with weeds and the right-of-way was a big mess. I decided to hire Matthew and I am SO glad I did.

Matthew was ready to go, equipment and all! He was very enthusiastic about doing the job. Immediately when he arrived at my house, he got straight to work. It was a pretty hot day, so Hannah, Sophia and Megan (Matthews sister) went in to make tea.

This post is a review for Matthew and his business, TOTAR LEAF COMPANY. But, for just a moment I'd like to talk about the blessing of working hard. Sometimes we just want to ignore, excuse and generally putter around. We get up in the morning and think, "I work all the time, I need a break"! The fact is, for many of us, we have forgotten or haven't learned the value of hard work. It's a JOY! When we are faced with a lot of work, even work that is yucky or monotonous, we have to make a choice. On one hand, we can be disgusted, lazy or even angry that we are required to do such a thing. Take dishes for example. I REALLY don't like to do dishes. Sometimes I would ignore them instead of diving in and just doing the few dishes in the sink. The dishes began to pile up. Then of course that was a cue for the ants to come and visit my mess. Of course, if the sink is full of cold dirty water then who wants to stick their hand in that!!! ICK!

More dishes pile up and pretty soon, what would have been a quick clean up, become a HUGE ordeal. I'm cranky, the kids are cranky, and of course, the ants are cranky. There has been NO BENEFIT for anyone to ignore or approach work with laziness or a bad attitude. It's like that with just about everything. It's like that when dealing with a yucky heart. We can get lazy and ignore the mess there too.

BUT....On the other hand. If we come to a job, ANY job, with gratefulness and cheerfulness, how can anything but joy, praise and accomplishment be the result! Picture this....you're mom comes in and says, "Bob, I need you to go outside and pick up the entire yard. Shovel the dog doo, put away the toys, and throw away all the trash". If Bob grumbles, and whines, the result is, his heart feels tired and heavy. Is Abba pleased? Will he receiving praise and joy from his family? Does he feel accomplished when he was forced by discipline to complete the job? NO! Let's picture the next scenario....Bob CHOOSES to be enthusiastic about this task. He CHOOSES to be grateful to have a home and a back yard, and toys to play with. He appreciates how hard his folks work! After downing a big glass of water and donning some sun screen, BOB runs out the door, garbage bag in hand, and completely gives the backyard a make over! What do you think the result was??? Bob, feels tired and HAPPY! His parents are pleased and praise him for a job well done. Everyone agrees that the backyard is inviting and ready for fun. But most of all, Abba is VERY pleased at this obedient son. Bob was blessed when he became a blessing!

Back to Matthew. I can't recommend him enough. He took minimal breaks (I practically had to force him), and only enough time to swig down some tea and eat a cookie (or two) that Megan, Hannah and Sophia had made. He was joyful and focused. I didn't have to hardly tell him what to do. He was VERY thorough and knows how to handle a weed whacker! Matthew was a picture of the blessing of hard work. He blessed us with a clean yard and I was happy I hired him! I give Matthew FIVE STARS. So, if you would like to hire Matthew, feel free to leave a comment, and we will let him know! Thanks also to Megan for her delicious butterscotch cookies and for helping make more cookies with the girls!

Here is a little of what he did!