I may ruffle a few feathers. Keep in mind, this commentary has nothing to do with the current pandemic and struggles the world is experiencing right now. This is based on decades of teaching students of every age, from small children to senior citizens.
As a teacher, one of the biggest complaints I hear from my colleagues is about the sense of entitlement that is rampantly sweeping through our culture. Not only is it seen among the students and young adults, but the parents of the young children are passing it down to the next generation. It’s not necessarily universal, but there is an obvious trend. “That’s not fair! I don’t deserve this! I DO deserve that! I have worked too hard to not be given (Fill in the blank) are just a few of the battle cries permeating the atmosphere. I hear adults vehemently yelling and shaking their fists over a change of plans in their lives, and how they don’t deserve to be treated so unfairly. I understand shock and disappointment. I understand great loss and grief. I understand life not being fair. However, we seem to be teaching our children that they deserve to get the most return for mediocre work. Show up, check off the box, and you’re done. During my teaching career, I’ve been dumbfounded by how many people ask for special dispensation to get out of a chore or school policy when inconvenience is the real issue. It seems to be presumed that “Jane’s” previous commitment and being reminded of her sweet personality and usual desire to be conscientious means that special privileges are in order. However, everyone knows what’s involved in the job going in, so doing the job is not exactly a favor to the teacher or the boss. Being conscientious to do the job consistently is why “Jane” was good enough to even get the job. Of course, emergencies happen, major surprises and storms arise, but in general, maintaining the course and pursuing a job well done doesn’t deserve an award any more brushing your teeth “most” days deserves an award.
Do you ever focus on what you deserve rather than what you have? It seems that the more we have, the more we think we deserve. I know the devastation of working hard your whole life, just to lose “everything.” I put “everything” in quotation marks, because if you are even able to read this, you haven’t lost everything. Someone worked very hard for years to teach you to do that. If you have a friend or family member who is listening to your woes, you have not lost everything. Someone loves you enough to let you rant and to encourage you. The truth is, nothing in life is a given. Yes, the logical result of hard work and good work ethic is to get a good return for your labor. But we are NOT promised that, at least not what we think is a good return. What we want and expect is not always what we get. Our work ethic not only improves our character, but it reveals it. The level of integrity that we are hopefully being taught and developing since childhood is what results in diligence, and something good will always come from that, even if it’s not what we imagined. If nothing else, we are leaving a legacy of trust, dependability, responsibility, and integrity. Others will reap the benefits of the work you did years before, and they’ll be motivated to learn to carry on in the same manner.
God says in 1Corinthians 15:58 for us to be steadfast and immoveable, for our work is never in vain. That doesn’t mean we will always achieve our own expectations, but it means good will come from our work, no matter what.
We don’t automatically deserve lots of money, lots of awards, lots of accolades; we’re not promised those things. But we can expect good to come from our hard work: a strong character, a fabulous work ethic, a reputation of excellence, and a legacy of influence.
Dance on.
Grace Notes 