Colossians 3:23
King James Version (KJV)
And whatsoever ye do, do
it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.
During the summer after I graduated from Andrews University,
I landed a part time job at an aluminum foundry in Stevensville, Michigan. It
was owned by two men who worked very hard and were having excellent success.
They put me on the band saw and lathe. I quickly proved that I could make lathe
tools better than anyone in the shop. In fact, I adopted the attitude that this
was my foundry, and I would do the best I could for it.
Work started about 6:00 in the morning to gain the advantage
of the cool night air blowing across Lake Michigan. However, by 9:00
temperature in the foundry was upwards of 120º. I wore long sleeves because the band saw threw off
red-hot aluminum chips that would often land on my arms. At that temperature my
shirt was soaked with sweat, so the chips didn’t burn me. The shop provided
salt tablets, but I wouldn’t take them because I felt it would be unhealthy. After
three or four weeks, however, I was suffering from heat exhaustion. I broke out
in hives and was constantly sick to my stomach. I finally decided that I was too
weak to work. I spoke with my boss, and he insisted I take a salt tablet because
that would cure all my woes. I gave in and swallowed a tablet. Within 20
minutes my strength returned, and I gave them a full day’s work.
They soon found that I
could do oxy-acetylene welding better than anyone in the shop. We would often
talk about how to do things better. When the time came for me to leave and go
on to graduate school, the owners came to me. They told me that I was a real
asset to the foundry and asked if I would become a third partner with them,
rather than going off to school. I attribute this offer to my applying the
spirit of Colossians 3:23 to my job. This same attitude had gotten me a job,
three years earlier, where I could work my way through Andrews University.
May I continue work heartily as to the Lord at all my responsibilities.
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