Proverbs on Work

Today we are going to look at what the proverbs have to say about wisdom for the work place. Now I know some of you may not work outside the home, but the work place can be many different places. The work place can be your home where you manage resources and care of your family. If you are a student then the work place is school where you interact with other students and teachers, and if you are retired then you might want to think of your work place as those places where you serve and volunteer. Both my parents retired a number of years ago but they work almost as much now as they did when they were employed. The work place for my Mom is the church or the Senior Center where she volunteers and for my Dad it is the construction sites of Habitat for Humanity and the homes he visits with meals on wheels. So work can actually be many different place, but for those who are employed outside the home, the work place is were we go and spend the bulk of our time each day and each week. During our lifetime many of us will spend more time in the work place than we will at home with family, so it is not surprising that Proverbs has some wisdom for the work place. What we find in the proverbs is that it doesn’t tell us what job to do and they don’t instruct us on how to do our jobs, instead they tell us the kind of people we should be as we work. What Proverbs is most concerned about is core values and it is our core values that are reflected in our attitudes and actions while we work

One of the major themes we find in Proverbs when it comes to work is that we are to work hard. Proverbs 10:4-5.  While work is not to consume us and we are not called to work simply to make a lot of money, hard work is consistently called for thru the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 6:6-11. Here we are called to consider the ant that doesn’t need a boss or constant supervision but simply does its job. All of creation works diligently without being told what to do, and the wisdom we find here is that we should also work hard, and when we see something that needs to be done, we need to step up and be the one to do it. The closing saying in verse 10-11 is used again in Prov. 24:30-34

Again & again Proverbs points out the problems of those who are lazy and at times it even pokes fun at the sluggard in some graphic & humorous ways:  Proverbs 26:14 and Proverbs 26:15
The real problem with being lazy is found in Proverbs 20:4 When we are lazy - we will have nothing.

So we are called to work hard, to be diligent and productive and like the ant be able to work efficiently and effectively on our own. One of my first jobs was as a dish washer for a small family run Italian restaurant called Fatone’s. Mama & Papa Fatone were an old Italian couple who did most of the cooking in their restaurant and they loved me because I could always find something to do. If there weren’t any dishes to wash I would take all of Mama Fatone’s pots and pans and scrub the copper bottoms until they shined. Now one of the reasons I found things to keep me busy at work was because the Fatone’s were a very emotional and loud Italian family and after seeing them all yell and argue with each other, I decided it was better to keep busy than to be yelled at in Italian.

I remember one night at Fatone’s when the 2 sons, who each thought they knew how to run the restaurant better than the other, got into a shouting match on the restaurant floor. I’ve often thought that this family restaurant would have been a good reality show because it was always so full of drama, and on this one night everyone was shouting at each other in Italian, Mama Fatone was in tears, Papa Fatone was beside himself and I just tried to make myself disappear in the sink as I washed the same pot over and over again because I never want to look up. Now this all leads me to 2nd principles we find in the book of proverbs when it comes to work, we need to watch our tongue. While this is good principle for all of life, it is important for us to think about it in the context of our work, Proverbs 18:21 says the tongue has the power of life & death. Our words matter & what we say and how we say it makes a difference in the lives of others.

In the workplace, one of the important ways we need to watch our tongue is to speak honestly. Proverbs 20:17 In the workplace it can be very tempting for us to lie and deceive others because we think it will help us get ahead. In a Forbes magazine article a few years ago it was reported that nearly 40% of all people lie on their resume just to get a job. People lie about dates of employment, salary, titles, and degrees that they have earned. In the news recently there have been stories about two politicians who have lied about their military service in an effort to make themselves look better to the voters. (One was a democrat and one was a republican, so lying crosses all party lies – it is a human failing) While lying might actually help get us a job, those lies often come back to hurt us in the end. When we are unable to do the job we were hired for because we overestimated our skills, knowledge and ability – that’s gravel in the mouth. And if we lied to get our job, then we have to keep that lie going and that just leads to deeper and deeper deception. That’s the problem with lies – they don’t stop. We have to keep lying in order to cover up the very first one.

It’s not just our deceitful words that are a problem; it is also harsh and critical words because they can crush the spirit of others. Proverbs 15:4. Unfair or overly harsh criticism of others can crush their spirit. Most of us have probably faced unfair criticism that has called us to question our gifts and abilities and my guess is that we have all experienced gossip and lies that have caused us pain and while I’d like to say that none of this happens in the church –unfortunately it does.

One of the hardest times I faced as a pastor was after my first year in Altoona when changes I made and the direction I believed God was moving us as a church were not understood or accepted by a small group of people. It was a painful time when letters were circulated in the congregation, lies were told and I received hate mail telling me that I was doing the work of the devil. We have all heard the saying that sticks & stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me & we all know that this saying just isn’t true. Names do hurt, words can wound and those wounds can be deep and long lasting. Our words can bring life or destruction. We can bring healing or crush the spirit and the life of others. I especially hope that those whose workplace is the school hear this. Junior and Senior High Schools can be vicious places of name calling and since our self image and self esteem is so often shaped by the words of others we need to make sure that our words are uplifting and encouraging. James addresses this issue so clearly in James 3:9-10. I can’t say it any better – this should not be.

Our words in the workplace need to be filled with life and healing and hope. We need to encourage others, lift them up, and praise people for what they do and who they are. This doesn’t mean we don’t challenge or hold people accountable, but we need to understand the power of our words & make sure we are using them for life - not destruction.

To give you a sense of how important our speech is, I’ve listed 12 more proverbs on speech and as you read thru book you’ll realize, this is only the beginning! 4:12, 10:8,10,14,18-21, 12:23, 15:1-2, 17:14, 19, 28, 18:4-9, 21:23

Another principle for us to look at has to do with being teachable. Look at Proverbs 15:31-33 and Proverbs 12:1.  Now I don’t know anyone who really loves discipline and I don’t know anyone who enjoys being rebuked or corrected. Most of the time when we are being critiqued we get defensive, but instead of being defensive and closed off to what others are saying, we need to be open and willing to learn. If we are not teachable then we are proud and pride is dangerous because it not only closes us off from others but it closes us off from God. Proverbs 16:18 says Pride goes before destruction and a haughty (proud & arrogant) spirit before a fall.

One of the keys to taking criticism and discipline well from others comes from not taking ourselves too seriously but taking others very seriously. When we begin to think of others as being better than we are, then we are anxious to hear their words of wisdom. Let’s be honest, they may not always be right, but then again, maybe they are and we won’t know until we take the time to listen and consider their words carefully. There is never anything to lose in listening to others, there is never anything to lose in taking into consideration the perspective and input of others – but there is everything to lose if we shut them out in pride. Proverbs 22:4 says humility & the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.

There is one last work place issue that I wanted to see if the proverbs addressed and that is when we are in a difficult working environment with a boss or supervisor. What do we do when our boss is unreasonable, or a supervisor is unfair? While I couldn’t find anything that specifically addressed this, it says this in Proverbs 16:3, commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established. The truth is that sometimes we simply have to endure the unfair criticism of others, but other times we may need to make a stand against it, knowing the right time to do the right things takes wisdom and prayer. If we are in a period of enduring the hardships of an unfair situation, we can take heart because Proverbs 16:4-5 says that the unjust and unfair will not go unpunished, but if we are to make stand, we need to commit those plans to the Lord and seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Look back to Proverbs 16:2. Our plans and our ways may seem right, but only the Lord really knows and so we need to seek God’s counsel and wisdom, so we need to commit our ways to the Lord and allow God to establish our plans.

When it comes to the work place proverbs calls us to hard work, to speak honest encouraging words and have humble hearts – if these things are at the core of who we are – we will be a success, maybe not in business, but certainly in life and faith. God cares about us in the workplace. God cares what we do, but more importantly God cares about who we are as we work, so whether it is at home, school, the community or a place of business, let us be the workers that God wants us to be.