Hard Work Isn’t Always a Negative
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Proverbs 13:4)
When I started in ministry, I was told that an average work week was at least 60 hours per week. While I was in seminary, my mentor was Rev. Allen Montgomery. Allen implored me never to use a television show illustration in a sermon because I do not want your congregation to think you have time for TV. As much as I respected Allen, I didn’t like to model the workaholic mindset. Yet, it feels like our society’s pendulum has swung the other way. In the 2020s, “Work/Life Balance” seems to imply that we should play as many hours as we work each week. I am concerned with the mindset that diminishes our ability to provide for ourselves.
Denis Gorbunov helped me put thoughts into words in his article, “I Need to Say This About Gen Z’s Wrong Take on Work/Life Balance.” His subtitle is, “Nothing is free in life.” I must point out that Denis Gorbunov, in his article photo, looks to be in his late 20s or early 30s. He is not a bitter baby boomer looking back on life with complaints that the younger generation isn’t as worthy of affirmation. Instead, Gorbunov is close to their age, which makes his argument even more meaningful because he is in the throes of a generational crisis.
Gorbunov complains that too many of “yesterday’s adolescents act like retirees.” Gorbunov provides the example of a friend who ranks leisure above work but insists he is disciplined because he goes to the gym three days per week. Gorbunov disagrees with his friend’s attitude, stating, “He goes to the gym for fun. Discipline is doing hard stuff when you don’t feel like it.” Life is challenging and requires making choices and sacrifices for long-term benefit. Yet, according to Gorbunov, “Gen Z isn’t familiar with delayed gratification.” The motivation to grow and thrive in this life is complex and requires discipline. When we are capable of delayed gratification, we can meet long-term goals worthy of the lives God has given us.
I appreciate the point Denis Gorbunov is making, even if the generalizations are a bit heavy-handed. Not every GenZ is incapable of discipline. Yet, the computer can give us almost anything with overnight delivery and access to see the freedom of the rich and famous; GenZ’s feel ripped off when they must work hard because it appears so many others are having fun. Pray for each person to find the discipline to order their lives around God’s intention for them. Then, the faith to sacrifice for long-term meaning and wholeness becomes possible. Whether we are GenZ or old enough to be part of the Silent Generation, we need to make our decisions with more integrity than gratifying every immediate need.