Another Day Older and Deeper In Debt!

There's supposedly some fine line differences between a proverb, a saying, a cliche, a maxim, and an adage. This is kind of confusing since one can become one of the others either over time or if over used. There's some interesting sayings that people use concerning the work they do or the job they have. These include: "Make hay while the sun shines"; "Opportunity only knocks once"; "Back to the ol' grind stone"; "Time is money"; "Another Day, another dollar"; "A penny saved is a penny earned"; and "There's no substitute for hard work". I read one definition that said the cliche of 'another day, another dollar' actually reflects an American view of their boring and meaningless job.

I will have to tell you I never thought of that saying that way. It mostly meant that work was necessary and in order to gain the pay, one has to get up and go and do the work. It would seem that throughout history people's attitudes about their jobs often do reflect a sense of dissatisfaction, frustration, and hopelessness. I well remember the Tennessee Ernie Ford hit song written by Merle Travis entitled Sixteen Tons. The chorus more or less summed up this miner's view of the work he did: "You load sixteen tons, what do you get, Another day older and deeper in debt, Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store." This tune about coal mining obviously hit a responsive cord across the country because it was the B side of a song that went no where and it came out in mid October of 1955 and had sold over 1 million copies by December.

I suppose many people were able to transfer the sentiment of the mournful coal miner's plight over into their own view of their job and their life. Have you ever wondered why people tend to have this view of their jobs? There's this radio program that plays on Christian stations that deals with evidences of creation and proofs that God's word is accurate. The program is called "Back to Genesis", and that's exactly where we can go and find the origin of this attitude about work, labor, and the jobs that distress so many today.

Before the fall of Adam he had a job to superintend the creation God had given to him. But when he and Eve chose to willfully disobey God they were plunged into sin and EVERYTHING changed for them, and for their offspring which includes every single human being who has ever drawn breath on this planet. Part of that change included the way in which work would be accomplished. Essentially, work became difficult, wearisome, and arduous, as indicated with God's word to Adam: "From now on you will have to earn your way by the sweat of your brow". This obviously was a contrast to what it was before because it was work before but it did not have the elements of difficulty brought on by sin.

So does that mean we can't help but be despondent and downtrodden in our jobs? For believers, the answer is a resounding NO! We are called to embrace the work God has given to us with an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving. We are to be faithful in the discharge of our duties and we are to carry the testimony of God in the way in which we go about our work. That seems to be a really tough challenge, don't you think? Absolutely! That's why Jesus told His followers that without Him they could do nothing. Later the Apostle Paul would put it this way: "I can do all things with the strength provided to me through Christ". If you find yourself tending to wallow in the concept of living a life defined by the natural inherited dislike for the job you do, then perhaps you need to seek God's help because He has a better plan for your life. I can tell you from experience that I've seen both sides of the coin, and the one that embraces the work God has provided with excitement, commitment, and a desire to serve is the one that works best because first and foremost it is pleasing to God, and when we please Him it's always best for us. Some preachy stuff for an early Super Tuesday! May God bless. Amen. ..... More later.