Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
“Hey mom, can you come spot me? I’m gonna try a backflip.”
My middle son Owen asked me that question just as offhandedly as he might have asked me to help him with a math problem. In his head, it was something he wanted to do so he was gonna try it. In my head, it was a crazy thought, and he would probably get over it in the near future.
But he didn’t. Instead, he did what kids these days do and found YouTube instruction videos. Then he started practicing. He’s always done crazy stuff off the diving board, but I really didn’t think he’d figure this one out. In fact, I pretty much laughed him off.
But he was not deterred. First he used a futon mattress for protection. Once he was able to successfully land a flip on the mattress, he moved to an exercise mat. Now he can pretty much flip off of anything anywhere.
I considered shutting him down right away. I didn’t really believe he would succeed, and I wasn’t really hot on the idea of an emergency room trip. But he worked at it until he got it, and now he reaps the benefits of being able to do something pretty cool that most people wouldn’t even think of trying.
Hard work comes in different shapes and sizes, but the reward is generally the same. Satisfaction in a job well done and a sense of accomplishment. If my boys have a good understanding of that before they grow up and leave this house, I will be a happy mama.
Dear Lord, I pray that you will help me to train up my boys to know the value of hard work. Help them to understand that hard work leads to profit. Amen.
