Snyder Family Rules: Snyders Work & Play Heartily

Today's short "Snyder-Family-Rules" post comes from Col 3:23. This rule is one of our newer ones and it's a simple in concept (that I've also written about here and here) but it's so very difficult to actually make part of your family culture. Colossians says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men...."

The idea is this; successful living is not dependent on the result of your work as much as it is on the effort put into your work. It seems contradictory, but God is both the hardest boss you've ever had while also the easiest one as well. That's why Jesus can claim that "my yoke is easy and my burden is light," but then Paul the apostle is always going on about working super hard for God (e.g., "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" [Phil 2:12] or "I worked harder than any of them..." [1 Cor 15:10] or "for this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" [Col 1:29].) Working heartily for God can be described as "working wholeheartedly." That is, not holding back in your trying to do, enjoy, or accomplish an activity.

For God, success is defined by working "heartily" more than working "effectively."

Now, it's true than working heartily and effectively usually go hand in hand. Enter all the Proverbs about not being lazy and coming to ruin through lack of effort (10:4, 13:4, 21:25, 24:30-34, etc.). The opposite is not always true, however. Sometime you may find that you are more gifted/talented at a particular thing, or--let's be honest--sometimes you expend very little effort but STILL do a better job than other people around you (as in, the bar was already set pretty low.)

And so, the biggest admonition I have before my kids start a task is to "go for it" and "get at it" and generally "work with alacrity" (yeah that last one really gets them motivated:-). And the biggest question I need to ask when they fail is, "did you work hard at this task or did you just try to get it done with minimal effort." For example, if one of my kids gets an "B" in a particular subject, I may be disappointed with him, but if another get's a "B" I may be overjoyed. It's not the result, but the effort that those results represent in them.

But what about play? Why would you have to tell your kids to play heartily? I ask myself that same question all the time (seriously?! do I have to convince you to try this amazing food or to play this awesome video game???). I think, at least in the circles I grew up in, there is a tendency for Christians to shy away from joyful activities or to try not to like it too much. But I think we must enter our joyful activities wholeheartedly! This is implied in 1 Cor 10:31, but is also all over the place in Ecclesiastes. So, when my kids are going to try something new that they don't think they will enjoy and that requires some effort to really enjoy I quote our rule, "Snyder play heartily." For example, I've been teaching my daughter to ride a bike. She hates it--she refuses to try because she is afraid of falling off. I know she will love it once she learns but that it will take effort. So, when trying some new and awesome play thing the rubric is "give it everything you have" and "you can do this" and "just try your hardest and I'll give you some Ice Cream" (yes, that last one was born out of desperation :-).

So, whether you are working to steward God's creation or enjoy God's creation do it for the glory of God. That is, in work or in play and in eating and drinking and "in everything", we strive to do all for the glory of God--and this means that "Snyders Work and Play Heartily!"