where there’s a will there’s a way
Do you love hard work? Do you find it exhilarating? I do. I was raised on the principle that a hard day’s labor is both expected and fulfilling. It’s even Biblical.
Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. - Proverbs 10:4
And when that hard work goes according to plan, it’s even more joyful. Except, when you live in a house like we do that is well over a 100 years old, nothing ever really goes as planned. So, what is the result of hard work? Those two hour house projects turn into four hours, then six hours, then two days. And the hard work becomes both laborious and frustrating.
When I’m caught in the middle of a project going sideways, I often mutter under my breath, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” Working on a project a couple years ago, exasperated, I looked at my husband, Bryce, and said, “I know I am not doing this the way it is supposed to be done, but I will make it work. I always do. Where there’s a will there’s a way!” Immediately, he responded, “No, where there’s a Wilt there’s a way.” This was funny. Very funny. Because I’m a Wilt girl who married a Flurie boy.
And we Wilt’s are known for making things happen despite all odds. We can always find a work around. It may be duct tape and string, but we get it done. And we are usually stubborn enough to not stop until we do. It seems to be a character trait so strong in our family, that we only marry people who have the same mindset. This is our family line. Hard workers who just won’t quit. I get it honestly.
Four Generations Of Wilts
That young guy on the right is my dad. A man who worked tirelessly all his life to support his family well. Now, he’s retired. But his work didn’t stop, it just changed. Constantly serving my mom and the neighbors in his community fills his time. Hard work is a part of his character and who he is as a Christian husband and father. In many ways, Paul’s words in Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,” could be his mantra.
In Colossians 3:18-4:1, Paul gives instructions for Christian households working his way through the familial relationships before completing his instructions for slaves.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
Through Christ, the slave and master relationship disappeared even though it continued to exist in earthly form in the Christian household in Colossae. Hard work was expected no matter what the circumstance because that work was about the character of the slave reflecting the character of Christ.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Does hard work build character? Absolutely. And family lines reveal the character traits of our family members whether it includes hard work or not. They tell us who we come from, impact who we are, and help us understand how we can love our own children.
We love our children by teaching them what we were taught about hard work. That’s easy to do when you live in a house like ours. Because over 100 year old houses aren’t level, out of plumb, and nothing is square. But where there’s a Wilt family line there’s a way.
Days ago, I checked the stability of the columns on our front porch by accidently putting my entire fist the whole way through the bottom of one! Much to my surprise there was no support post inside - just a dangling column held by a couple of toothpick sized chunks of wood. Because I’m a mother hen who immediately sees impending danger for her children when things are broken, quick action was needed!
Ancient Porch Column On The Move
Our son, Eli, and I dove into this short two hour project ripping out columns with superhuman strength and saving the porch from utter demise. At least that’s how we saw it unfolding. Reality told a different story.
After searching all the outbuildings on the farm for our replacement deck boards for about an hour, our hard work on each column went something like this - support porch roof, remove column, battle carpenter ants, patch ceiling of porch, distract kitten from moving the tape measure, patch floor board, insert new support, chase away chickens, and repeat. Seven long, sweaty, messy hours later, we had sturdy pressure treated wood in place to support our porch roof from collapse.
Jody And Her Son Hard At Work
Hard work? Definitely. But it was more than that. The character trait of hard work that our family built into our son, Eli, became his legacy of love to us. He worked on the porch to honor his parents showing us what it means to serve without an earthly reward. Eli’s legacy is his character.
That is true for all of us. And it is what we should remember as we leave our own legacy of love by building character in our kids. It isn’t always easy, but when you build that character work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. Because you are impacting your family for generations.
Searching for wisdom and asking for grace,
Jody