A Chester kind of week

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Colossians 3:23 NIV

Today is my dad’s death anniversary. I have written about him before, but unfortunately the date comes back every year. I have been working on the road this week. I make a living working by myself from a vehicle. So did he. He had to work much harder physically than I do, but what I do would have been harder for him.

Some weeks seem to flow easily. People are home. Some people buy, others do not but the averages work out over time. The really tough days happen when no one is home, not one wants to buy and you have nothing to show for your effort.

People who work in construction, or some other professions, have something to show for their efforts. You can drive past a house and say, “I built that”. Even selling insurance you can look at the sales as a product of the work. My dad loaded freight and drove it all around Kansas City. He really did not have anything he could show you, but the work had value to him. Being willing to work had value to him.

This week I had a terrible time selling, nothing to show for the effort on day one. I started day two fully optimistic that my own averages would mean a good day. Nope. Thinking about him throughout the day had an effect. It struck me that he would have felt just like this on most days. It was hot and humid. I was tired and part of me just wanted to call it a day. I do not quit early very often simply because my family needs me to stay out. So did my dad’s. I remember he used to talk about time and a half on Saturdays and double time on Sundays. I do not ever work seven days in a week.

The best way I can honor my dad is to work with my family as the motivation. I enjoy the work on most days, but some days are a grind. But both productive and hard days are better with my wife and kids as the reason.

Jordyn and Aly both had jobs from age 14 up. Both were good workers. I will never forget Aly calling me at 5:00 am on the second day of lifeguard training. I was one the way to Colorado to work. She called wanting my permission to quit. The water was literally about 55 degrees that year. It sucked. I told her she had the wrong last name to quit. She stuck it out. She is currently a first grade teacher. It’s fantastic to watch.

Tomorrow morning my son and I will head to a local group home for men to volunteer. This is a relatively new thing for him. It may be the coolest thing I have ever done. I have seen him mow, although he does that at our house. He picked blackberries one day. That is unusual only because of the butterflies that were all around him. He hates butterflies, especially white ones. Interestingly, once he focused on the blackberries, the butterflies did not bother him near as much. It was cool. He has cleaned an Airbnb, pulled weeds. He also helped gather eggs. He had ear protection on to dull the sound, but his worst fears were all present in that room and he went ahead and did it. If I had not been standing there, I would not have believed it. To some that seems easy. To Korbin, that was a miracle.

All of us want things to be attainable for our kids. But how often do we challenge them to not quit in spite of it being difficult?

Your kids will think about you for a long time after you are gone. What do you want to come to mind when they do?

Challenge: Your kids will need the lessons learned by the obstacles you can help them through more than the pathways you can clear for them. Just don’t forget to help them celebrate along the way.

Rick Claiborn