Written by Jim Loscheider (Elder and Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach) on March 1, 2024.
(Share this with your kids and grandkids!)
When I was a kid, I thought my parents were always looking for ways to take away my enjoyment by making me work. “Go weed the garden, sweep the garage, make your bed, mow the grass, do the dishes (we didn’t have dishwashers when I grew up), wash the car and wash dad’s work truck.” There were more, but you get the idea.
As a kid my perception of work was, “this is a bad deal for me and a good deal for my parents!” I didn’t get the fact that they were training me to be responsible, and productive. As I grew older, and became a Christian, I realized how much the Bible has to say about work.
We Are Created and Designed to Work
Work provides fulfillment, satisfaction, and dignity. The Bible teaches that we are to be disciplined and diligent in our work, for we work as unto the Lord. Colossians 3:23 says: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,” NKJV. This verse implies that Christians should do their work willingly, with all their heart, and as a service to the Lord — not just to please their earthly parents or employers.
Here’s another verse regarding work: “In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23, NKJV)
And another: “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his [a]heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, NKJV)
A Helpful Quote
Rachel Cruze, Dave Ramsey’s daughter, is coauthor with her dad of “Smart Money Smart Kids – Raising Money-Smart Kids” She shared this:
“I’ve learned a lot from my parents over the years, but one lesson in particular sticks out from the rest: the value of hard work. In fact, if you’ve ever wondered about the Ramsey’s “family business,” let me help you out. It isn’t just speaking or writing; our family business is work!
Even when I was a kid, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have it any other way.
But that’s okay because I’ve realized so many great benefits from work. For example, work creates discipline, and discipline helps you become a healthier person. Work also gives you the chance to feel that good kind of tired, the kind of tired that only comes when you’ve actually done something meaningful.
My parents also taught me about the “work-money connection.” It’s the principle that says money comes from hard work, not our parents’ back pocket. By the age of five, I was working around the house for a weekly commission. (That’s right…we earned commissions, not allowances). In my teen years, I had a babysitting business, worked at the mall for a while, and even teamed up with my sister on a snack service at Dad’s office.
All the while, the formula was pretty simple: “Work, get paid; don’t work, don’t get paid.”
The Bible is pretty clear that the work-money connection is real. Proverbs 14 says that labor leads to profit. In other words, we experience real benefits from putting in an honest day’s work.
Unfortunately, there’s a whole generation of kids growing up to think that money is free. They’ve fallen into the trap of entitlement, assuming that Mom and Dad are human ATMs. But if you can help your kids understand that money really comes from work, they’ll be ready to hit the real world running as young adults.
So, encourage your kids to discover the dignity and profit that comes from working. Give them the chance to learn responsibility by earning commissions or tackling that part-time job.
Help them make the work-money connection.”[1]
In closing, give some prayerful thought to taking your kids or grandchildren through the book Smart Money Smart Kids – Raising Money-Smart Kids. Not only does it provide Biblical principles that work, but it also provides parents and kids a way to work together on being better stewards of what God entrusts to us.
If you’d like, you can order your copy here: Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next… book by Dave Ramsey (thriftbooks.com)
Make an investment in your kids and grandchildren.
[1] Smart Money Smart Kids – Raising Money-Smart Kids (bible.com)