When I was in the U.S. military, we sang “Jodies” while we ran in formation or completed other projects. There is something powerful about singing together as you accomplish a difficult task! The name “Jodie” comes from early Army songs about a soldier who was complaining because of the challenges he was facing in life. As a child, I remember my father, a former soldier, teaching me songs that began with, “I wanna’ be an Airborne Ranger, I wanna’ live a life of danger…”
In Africa, songs that are sung while working are often accompanied by whistles or shrieks, and, of course, someone has to keep the rhythm going by clapping or stomping. It is a magnificent thing to experience!
We often fail to remember that work is a gift from God. It was a pre-Fall of Man activity that God gave to Adam and Eve as a way to join in creation and stewardship. Genesis 2:15 states, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
When done well, work provides dignity, fulfillment and joy!
Our Hope Haven neighbors are often hired to do special projects and they quickly come together as a team. In fact, one of our key staff members was hired a couple of years ago because our Managing Director observed how hard she worked on the construction crew. We hired her as a full-time employee. Today, she thrives in her new role as a manager of other workers!
Last Saturday, after watching the cement crew at work, Kimberly, my bride of 24 years, had an excellent idea.
She asked, “What if we made the workers some pancakes for a mid-morning snack?”
And so she did.
Kimberly made 68 pancakes. Then, our entire family, and Sarah, our summer intern, had the joy of distributing chocolate chip pancakes to the crew—a delightful way to start a Saturday morning!