There is an old-fashioned type burger stand in the small town where we and our family own another residence.

We like to stop at the seasonal burger stand at least once or twice a year for a burger, shake and fries. I did so this evening after working all day on a sermon series I am doing at my church. (It was a very small shake.)

Once there you can either sit in your car or at one of the many picnic tables they have set up in a little park. In a short time a car hop will appear and take your order just like in the good old days and then return with the food along with the check. It's a great nostalgic experience on a warm summer's day in a small country town atmosphere.

The car hops are young ladies that appear to be in High School. They are always pleasant and seem to eager to do their jobs. But there is one person who really impresses me.

There is a young man who appears to be a little older than the High School age car hops. He seems, from what I can see to be mentally challenged. I'm not sure what the politically correct term is so mentally challenged will have to do.

His job is to police this little park of about 20 picnic tables. He sits on a stool at the edge of the park and carefully surveys the picnic area for any sign of debris that may fall to the ground from the picnic tables. This evening I saw him jump from his perch and run to a table where someone had just dropped a napkin. The young man was right there in a heartbeat almost before the thing hit the ground! The people at the table looked startled until they realized this young man had a passion to do his job and was there to retrieve the napkin!

The other part of his job is to clean the tables when people leave. He will sit on the stool and as soon as someone stands up to leave a picnic table he literally runs over, picks up the garbage and wipes down the table with a wet rag. I have never seen that kind of enthusiasm in a person doing their job. After he finishes one cleaning mission, he returns to his stool and again surveys the picnic area for his next mission.

My own work attitude is not nearly as enthusiastic. There are many aspects of being a pastor that are enjoyable that I look forward to with enthusiasm. Sermon prep, delivering a sermon, teaching a class, leading a small group, counseling people in my church, are all things I can easily get pumped up for although I confess I've never actually run to do a sermon or counsel people!

Other things I'd just as soon run from. Long business meetings where my eyes glaze over, an over whelming number of commitments in a given week and conflict are all things that set me running from work rather than to work.

I think that most of us live in the tension between having work and enjoying work to the challenges of having work and enjoying work under the curse.

17And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.” Gen. 3:17-19, ESV

Sin has had a bearing on our work. It means we will struggle. We'll struggle with people, with ourselves and with our work environment. Thorns and thistles grow along side roses.

But it won't always be so because God, who is abundant in His grace and mercy will provide a way of redemption and restoration.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:15, ESV

Genesis 3:15 is called the protoevangelium meaning the first announcement of the gospel. Fulfillment comes in Jesus Christ as He will make all things new for He is the gospel and its chief messenger.

That's a promise we can hold on to when we struggle with our work. No matter how big a jerk the boss is, no matter how unjust your circumstances are, or how hard the job is there is hope-hope in a glorious redeemer who will never leave us nor forsake us.

This is why Paul could write to slaves:

I confess that as I observed the young, mentally challenged man go about his work with incredible enthusiasm I was envious. I resented the fact that I had more responsibilities than he and more difficult ones to boot. I was envious of his enthusiasm and thought how easy life would be if all I had to do was clean picnic tables and watch for napkins falling to the ground.

Then I realized that those kind of thoughts are sinful. An idol of the heart is rearing its ugly gross head and sowing the seeds of discontent and resentment in my heart. I then realized that God in His providence put in front of me a living illustration of what it meant to work heartily, as for Him, and not for men. He provided for me yet another illustration of humility in action.

Somehow if I can get it through my thick skull that I work for Christ, not men, I know I'll have the peace and strength to get through yet another boring business meeting, an overwhelming number of weekly commitments and the conflict that is just around the corner.

Soli Deo Gloria

Okay, I don't get it. Let a bunch of bulls with big horns loose in a city street and surround them with taunting males, some with sticks to poke above mentioned bulls with big horns and then run like crazy trying to stay the hec out of the way of above mentioned bulls with nasty horns......What's wrong with this picture?

Then it's big news that one of the taunting males gets gored and dies? Gee, good thing its the only one since 1995. One death in 14 years isn't too bad.

Man, those Spaniards need to get a new hobby. I saw the video and am sorry to say I feel more sorry for the bull than the taunting males running like crazy after taunting the bulls with the nasty horns.

19" LargeMouthbass from Fox Lake, WI

18" LargeMouthBass from Fox Lake, WI caught by my son Justin.