Liking What You Have To Do

Posted Dec 4, 12:38 PM by Kay Camenisch

Every day we do many things out of duty. For instance, for most of us, it never becomes a great joy to make our beds, hang up our clothes, wash dishes, or take out the trash. We generally do those things out of duty, not because we want to. Likewise, I bet most students go to school out of duty. Even though it’s often fun, it’s not normally the activity of choice. Many children go mostly because they have to.

The same could be said for jobs. My cousin, a corporate pilot, was an exception. Dan really loved his job. In his late forties, he said, “I enjoy work so much that I sometimes wonder what I’ll do when I grow up and get a real job.” Not many people are that excited about their employment. Although they’re grateful for their jobs and the ability to put food on the table and gas in the car, they don’t look forward to work. They do it because they have to.

There is something to be said, though, for doing a job—and giving your best—when it is not what you would choose. It’s called responsibility—knowing your duty and doing it well. At times the job may also include a host of other character qualities such as diligence and perseverance, but fulfilling duty clearly demonstrates responsibility.

We all need to practice responsibility. It is required to build a healthy family and to maintain a strong nation. We depend on each other to be responsible in every facet of civilization. It is necessary to keep things running smoothly. Litter beside the road is a simple example of what happens when a few people don’t practice personal responsibility.

I’m not sure some of us ever learn to consistently have a good attitude and take initiative. And yet, we all like the results when such character is shown. Everybody is blessed by it. We like the order, accomplishments, and peace that result.

A few years ago, I was proud of the responsibility shown by my six-year-old nephew, Aaron. He helped clean his Maw Maw’s house while she was in the hospital. He then welcomed her home with bright eyes and smiles.

Maw Maw entered the door oooing and ahhhing over the “welcome” signs that Aaron had colored and taped on the door. Before she had time to settle in at the kitchen table, Aaron asked expectantly, “Maw Maw, do you see anything different?”

She responded, “Well, I noticed the pretty pictures on the door.”

“No, that’s not it. Do you see anything in here?” Maw Maw looked all around, but the kitchen looked the same. Finally, Aaron said, “Look! Mama and I cleaned your cabinets! Mama cleaned the bathroom and kitchen too. And Aunt Kay vacuumed. And I dusted. We worked all morning long!”

Maw Maw appropriately crowed with delight and then added, “I’m going to have to pay you for the work you did.”

Aaron was quick to respond, “Oh, no! You don’t have to pay me.”

She insisted, “No, I need to pay you for all that hard work.”

“No, Maw Maw. I don’t want you to pay me. That’s not why I did it.”

“You mean you did all that hard work out of love for me?”

“On no! That’s not why I did it. I did it ‘cause I had to!”

Aaron did clean Maw Maw’s house because his mother made him. Though he did it out of duty, Aaron cheerfully did his part to get the job done before his Maw Maw got home. When it was finished, he felt good about it, and everybody else was blessed through his efforts.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer around 1800, said, “It is not doing the thing you like to do, but liking the thing you have to do that makes life blessed.” I think we all want to be blessed. However, I’m not sure we’ve considered how essential responsibility is in the equation of a blessed life, or how important it is to teach it to our children. If we understood, maybe it would be easier to like what we have to do.

Responsibility is important, but the apostle Paul got even closer to the heart of the matter. He told the Colossians, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col 3:23-24 NASB).

When I keep my focus on serving the Lord instead of people, it’s much easier to take the initiative, to do the job well, and to keep a good attitude. I also gain satisfaction from the task whether or not the people I’m serving appreciate it. And there is a bonus when we do the work for the Lord: He promises to reward us.

Lately, I’ve struggled with my attitudes. I haven’t liked what I had to do. I’ve fulfilled my duties, i.e. done my job—more or less, but not heartily. My heart has not been in it. I’ve just been getting by.

I think I need to change my focus and serve a different master, so I will LIKE what I have to do. And so I’ll be blessed.