Put Your Head Down and Work

One of the best things that we can do when we are struggling or having experienced a difficult situation is to “grind.” What I mean is that this is when you need to “put your head down and work hard!” In other words, you cannot change what just happened to you, but what you can do is to “push forward” knowing that God is not done with writing your story. He loves you despite what you “just experienced that hurts!”

Many years ago when we came to Emmanuel it was a church in decline. Many of the past traditions were still leading the church, but unfortunately, the church was not reaching people. The deacons who had interviewed me for the position knew that changes needed to be made. What they didn’t realize is how hard it would be, for even them, when I began to make changes. What happened in that second year was really difficult when the changes began to be made. Hundreds of people left the church. Terrible things were said to my face and behind my back. It was a very difficult time in my life. I began to wonder “where God was” and if I would survive this challenging season.

I often like to use an illustration that proves the reliability of our gracious God. I will take a box and put it on someone’s head and ask him or her what he or she is seeing. The answer is always the same…only the “walls of the box!” This is often what happens to us in a very difficult time - we can only see our circumstances. What we do not see is God’s amazing plan that is unfolding in our pain outside of our limited perceptions, just like everything beautiful and meaningful outside of the box.

We survived those difficult years, and now by God’s amazing grace we are thriving as a church. I heard my pastor many years ago say this: “Pray like it depends on God, and work like it depends on you!” Of course, it ALL depends on God, but I think you get the point. Passion wins the day! Passion is often the mindset and action that God blesses.

Ruth displayed this passion. She lost her husband. She lost her father-in-law and brother-in-law, and what did she do, she put her head down and went to work. When Ruth and Naomi returned back to Israel, they knew that their survival would depend on a new source of “income.” So, Ruth suggested that she go and “glean” grain in the fields with the harvesters. One of the Mosaic Laws required that corners of fields were to be left unharvested for the “poor” of Israel. This prevented the owners from hoarding wealth while allowing those who had little to nothing to be provided for in kind compassion.

Ruth was a humble young woman who did not care about people’s perceptions. She had one goal in mind – to care for her widowed mother-in-law. So, she took advantage of this special law, and she worked very hard to provide for Naomi. Many times when tragedy hits, we “sit around feeling sorry for ourselves” instead of passionately pursuing solutions to our problems. In our culture, people are quick to blame-shift leading to eventual “give-up mode.” Ruth gives us the exact opposite example. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she passionately sought solutions to her struggles. She did so with a work ethic unmatched by the majority of Bible characters.

When I went through that difficult time so many years ago, I did what I knew to do - I worked hard. In fact, that character trait has always been a big part of my identity having been taught it from my parents. Sometimes in life we worry too much about the things that we cannot control instead of focusing on the things that we can control.
My advice to you this week: no matter what challenges you are facing, “put your head down and work!” Ruth did. We should too. God has an amazing way of taking our struggles and pain and redeeming them into purpose that advances the Kingdom and our contentment. He is so good! The best is yet to come!