Weeds and Words

The Joy of Trust in Toil

The school year came to a close yesterday.

Summer is upon us in the desert.

The heat is setting in.

The sun is rising earlier.

Now is the time where we generally make excuses to stay indoors for the next 6 months.

I’m sure I’ll get there when temperatures soar to the mid 110’s.

But today I felt renewed.

Over the summer I made a loose agreement with myself to read Proverbs every day.

Whether one chapter or the whole book, “in all toil there is profit.”

Something struck me after my first few times through.

The concept of wisdom has become overly spiritualized, especially in the church.

Our age equates wisdom with experts throwing out fortune cookie soundbites.

The culture loves talking heads that are superficially profound but morally bankrupt.

Our sources of knowledge and understanding are futile.

They offer us little value other than to entertaining us with information we never apply.

Like a house of cards that’ll come down with one stiff breeze.

But Biblical wisdom is different.

It’s earthy. Blue collar. Hard won.

It’s foundation is the fear of the Lord.

And nothing could be more practical.

This thought occurred to me while I was doing yard work this morning.

Driving back the weeds, ploughing the sacred space God has allowed me to steward.

Space to reflect as I plodded along diligently.

I looked down at my hand and saw the skin coming off from the garden hoe.

The fruit of my effort.

The reward for doing battle against the wilderness.

I put down my tool of dominion and laughed.

Oh the mundanity.

Simple joy found in normal productivity.

The work has to be done.

But must it be without mirth?

For it to be real work, need it lack merriness?

May it never be.

For the Maker sees this humble offering.

The toil offered under the sun that sweats.

That bleeds.

And he smiles.

This is enough to make his creature delight.

For he is good to provide both the work and the joy that comes from the toil.

Wisdom is won through subduing creation for his glory.

Work is worship.

So touch the dirt and you’ll have something worthy with which to stroke the keyboard.

Whether weeds or words, all things praise His Name.