Exhaustion after a day of hard, physical work may be one of the best feelings there is.  There is a great misunderstanding that when Adam and Eve sinned and they were driven from the garden, they were made to work.  In fact, the ground was cursed; not the work.

Adam was told by God “Fill the earth and control it.  Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the air.  Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).  Then in Genesis 2:13 we are told, “The man had the work of planting and caring for the garden.”  That denotes work.  I personally believe that their main purpose was to be friends with God; but before the fall a God-given desire was placed in us at creation to produce, care for; and nourish.  That sounds like work.

After he had sinned, Adam was sentenced to extremely hard labor that produced little results.  The ground would produce thorns and weeds.  To be able to eat, we must have food but yielding crops is no longer productive work.  Storms, droughts and floods have plagued farmers for all time. 

Yet, we are still left with the joy of hard work.  Work remains one of the most satisfying features of our lives. That is why men and women become seduced by the lucious, extravagant feelings and become work-a-holics. 

I’ve always felt sorry for people who aren’t able to find joy in their chosen occupation.  The young man who cuts my yard is a prime example.  He cuts yards for a living; and it’s pretty obvious that he hates it.  Last week he informed me that he would no longer cut a small portion of my yard that I’d asked him to keep trimmed.  I laughed and said, “Yes, you will or you won’t be cutting my yard any longer.” 

“Fine,” he said and left pouting.  On the other hand, this week a man with “Landscape Expert” painted on his truck rode by my house.  He was checking on a yard down the street.  All he gets paid to do is mow; but he is constantly doing little extra things that enhance the yard.  Those tiny touches never take more than a moment; but they show that he cares about the work he does.  I suspect that this man goes home most nights with a feeling of satisfaction.  If there had been a phone number on his truck, I would have called him for an estimate.

Today, I completed several ongoing projects that have lurked in the horizon since my husband died.  While all the legal matters were finished within a couple of weeks, there were household and outdoor projects left dormant while he was sick.  Now they’ve been finished.

I’m physically tired to the bone; but emotionally, I’m happy and satisfied.  Some people say that for Christians the curse has been completely removed.  Sure we live in a fallen world; but we live above the fall.  On evenings like this, as I sit with a big glass of iced tea, I’m convinced that this must be truth.