“Free” Healthcare. “Free” Education. “Free” Housing. “Free” Childcare. “Free” Money.
We are raising our kids in a society that conditions us to expect good things for free from an institution that does not create any of the income it redistributes.
By the same token, hard work is hardly incentivized when a third of a person’s paycheck is taken before they can cash it.
How do we teach our children that there is value in hard work when our culture seems to diminish it?
As Bob Schultz points out in his book, Created For Work, “to bring home a paycheck,” is just one of a multitude of good reasons, not the least of which include the fact that work:
- is a gift God gave man before the Fall
- helps us make the world a better, more beautiful place
- puts us in touch with people who may need us just as much as we need them
- give us the opportunity to be a blessing to others
- keeps us in touch with reality
- enables us to improve upon the unique skill set God has given us
A gifted storyteller, Bob Schultz packed Created to Work with serious, humorous, and touching real-life stories that illustrate the beauty, blessing, and reward of working diligently.
At the end of each chapter are a series of 5 or 6 questions that aid in narration and discussion, and a Scripture verse that summarizes the lesson of the day.
The subheading reads “Practical Life Lessons For Young Men,” so I read it with our then 10 year-old son, but it contains material that is applicable to young men and women alike.
I would highly recommend Created For Work to anyone with boys ages 9+, or as a family read aloud.