Work With All Your Heart.

Colossians 3: 23–24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

The key word in this text is heart. It doesn’t say work with all your soul, work with all your strength, or work with all your desire. It says work with all your heart. Using your strength is important depending on the type of work you do, like being an athlete or construction worker. But why is the focus on the heart?

When we say, “work with all your heart,” we are not just talking about physical exertion. We are also talking about emotional investment. We are saying that we should put our whole selves into our work, not just our time and energy. We should be passionate about our work and committed to doing our best.

When we work with all our hearts, we are more likely to be successful. We are more likely to produce high-quality work that we are proud of. We are also more likely to enjoy our work and find fulfillment in it.

I published my first novel after completing the first draft. The novel had a fair share of misspelled words and grammar issues because I was too lazy to revise a second and third draft. I just wanted to see my name printed on a novel, but I found no success or satisfaction in it because I published the novel halfheartedly.

Growing up, I put forth more effort on the things that brought me pleasure, but I was indifferent about the things that I did not find important or brought immediate gratification. I have been known as a hard and reliable worker, but I have also been called lazy and incompetent because of my lack of effort on tasks that are not important to me.

There’s a saying that goes, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” This is mostly true. Laziness is a habit that is hard to break. It takes a lot of discipline and self-control to stay motivated and on top of your game, no matter what the task is. If you can’t be bothered to do a simple task like flipping burgers, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to handle the more challenging tasks that come with a more prestigious job.

My wife wants me to clean up the kitchen before bed. Lately, I have not been living up to her standard of cleanliness. I’m not enthusiastic about washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. But this is the task that was given to me, and I need to build a trust with my wife that I can clean the kitchen. Meaning not only washing the dishes in the sink, but also wiping off the counters, taking out the trash, putting leftovers in the fridge, sweeping the floor, and moping it at least once a week.

Working with all my heart is just as important in my household duties as it is in my employment. And doing tedious tasks in my employment is just as important as working on my hobbies. When I work as I’m working for the Lord then there will not be an imbalance of work ethic. I won’t do some tasks with care because I know my boss cares about them and some tasks nonchalantly because my boss won’t notice. I will do all tasks with care because God sees all and by having a mindset that God placed me here so I will work diligently for the Lord.