Yesterday, we were blessed to have a young man join the family as we tackled our many farm projects. It’s that time of year when the harvest is ready, it’s time to put the food up for winter days, the pastures are spent and needing to be mowed, the barn is always needing attention, and of course fall kittens have arrived just to add some distraction and enjoyment to the day. We’ve had many people suggest that their children would love to work on the farm only to discover that once they arrived and realized the hard, back breaking, sweat dripping work that farm life requires they weren’t quite ready for that experience. It is such a treat to find young people that really embrace work, that don’t make excuses why a job can’t be done, and don’t have to be told each step of the way how to get it done. We had such a hard working young man like this with us yesterday and what a load it lifted to have him work alongside my Elisha and me. As I was thinking of how to express my gratitude to the momma, I thought about how willing he was to learn, how cheerfully he approached each task, and how diligently he stayed the course till the project was complete! What a breath of fresh air! I thought, “You know, I can teach anyone the job that needs to be done but I don’t have the time to teach them to work!” That’s the parent’s job and to be honest, I have my own little ones that I am training to be hard workers. My Joe is so good at teaching his boys to embrace work. He often says, “A man does a job just because it has to be done. Not because it’s fun or convenient but just because it’s needed.” All the boys know that daddy will treat them like a man when they act like one, so from an early age they are striving to be hard workers like their daddy. Let me share with you a few things I have observed from Joe as he teaches and trains his boys to be the young men they are today.
Don’t shrink from the hard jobs. When you have a supersized job don’t put it off. Tackle it in small pieces and don’t stop till you see it through!
“Put it through by daylight” This is a phrase we read from one of our favorite Oliver Optic titles, it has stuck with our family ever since. It is a way of saying, “Get it done and get it done now.”
“Work and Win” Another phrase from Oliver Optic (you can see the type of books we love to read) is a cheerful reminder that my Joe often uses to encourage the family to not grow weary in well doing. We love to bless the children from time to time for their hard work… it is the “win” that they can see in a tangible form. We never compete against one another; just everyone does their best and is rewarded for doing so!
Complaining only makes the job harder. We train the children to do all things as unto the Lord and do all things without complaining. When we hear complaining we will often say, “Complaining will only make your job harder. You' won’t get done any sooner by grumbling about it.”
Work is NOT an enemy- I have discussed this in other posts. However, I will sum it up by saying, the Wood family doesn’t view work as a curse rather, a blessing!
These are just a few things we discuss and train the children in. I hope it has given you something to ponder and encouraged you as you train your children to work… all for the Glory of God!
With much love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood
I just like to say AMEN! We farm and have guys from the youth group come out to help us at times. Some are so lazy they don't last a couple of hours then there are those who keep asking us "Do you have anything else for us to help you with, you don't have to pay up just feed us...lol.." Love to be around those who are clueless about how to put up a fence but they are willing to learn and will do whatever we ask.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day,
Bec