Let’s Get to Work
Discipleship Series By Col. Scott McChrystal
It’s time to sound the alarm. America, let’s get back to work!
By almost any measure you choose, our national work ethic is slipping. Freefalling might be the more accurate term.
Want evidence? Almost everywhere you travel, there are “Help Wanted” signs. Business owners are crying for help, but potential workers would rather stay home and draw unemployment.
Production has fallen behind. Back orders are stacking up. Sales are stagnating because there aren’t’ enough American workers to keep up with demand.
Inflation has kicked in and middle-income families are taking the brunt.
These are symptoms, but what are the causes? Whose to blame? For several decades, the value of work has been downgraded. Living for pleasure has assumed a front row seat. Even in cases where married couples are both working, the motivation has been to acquire more wealth, more stuff, more pleasure.
Our culture has been shifting to a more individualistic society since the 1960’s. More and more, the values and ethics of everyday life exalt self over everything else. Absolute truth is considered outdated and irrelevant. Everyone’s truth is valued at the same level. The result? People do whatever they want to do. Impact on the family and community no longer trumps individual rights, freedom, or desires.
Liberal radicals want to destroy American life as we know and replace it with a form of Marxist socialism. The reasons are anything but noble. Money, power, and control sum up their motives quite accurately. The politicians in power want centralized government control to maintain their elite status. They couldn’t care less about Americans or about the future of this great nation. This isn’t just wrong—it’s evil.
So, if America isn’t working, what’s the way ahead? For a starter, let’s give God His rightful place. Our forefathers did, and they recognized that without his guidance and wisdom, America could never survive.
Follow God’s plan for living and pay close attention to the importance of work. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them work assignments. The Lord created human beings to derive a sense of value and worth from work. Just look around and the benefits work are obvious. People who work gain a sense of mission and accomplishment. People who can work but choose not to search for satisfaction through pleasure and other means. This approach has never succeeded and never will. God created us to work.
As a parent and grandparent this truth is obvious by looking at children. Start a task and watch how kids want to jump in and help. Very soon they don’t want your help. They want to do it by themselves. Why? God implanted this desire in their little brains. And it will stay there if parents, and other adults as well, recognize this truth and encourage children to work.
You’re thinking, “I’m one person. How can I possibly change culture so that work recovers its rightful place?” Start small. Are you able to work but are not? Are you drawing welfare instead of looking for a job? If so, get out and find a job.
Satan will fight you on this by telling you that the job you get isn’t worthy of your talents and potential. Nonsense. Few people ever start with a job that maximizes their abilities. Just get a job and start working. If you’re faithful, other opportunities will become available. Jesus expressed this perfectly in Luke’s Gospel:
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ “ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ (Luke 19:16,17-NIV)
God is faithful. He will reward you as you honor Him with your work. Even if you won’t make as much money as welfare is paying you, rest assured that the benefits of working far outweigh sitting back and drawing welfare. Besides, as you get back into the marketplace of work, you may discover potential you never realized you had. You may find work that you love and perform well. Your sense of value will increase and your overall satisfaction with life will be greater.
In closing, don’t drink the Kool-Aid that culture is trying to hand you. It runs against God’s plan for creation. The world doesn’t owe any of us a living. We need to get out and work! The Bible warns us in many places that laziness is wrong and people who continue that way are doomed to failure. On the other hand, those who are diligent and seek God’s wisdom will work hard and reap the benefits of a life that is pleasing to God.
Chaplain (COL) Scott McChrystal, USA (Ret)
Chaplain (Colonel) Scott McChrystal was commissioned in 1970 and served 31 years on active duty, 10 as an infantry officer and the remainder as a United States Army chaplain. His line officer experience included a tour in Vietnam as an Infantry Platoon Leader and three assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As an Army chaplain, he had multiple tours at home and abroad. His final assignment was as the senior chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He retired from active duty in 2005 and served as the Military/VA Representative and Endorser within the Chaplaincy Department for the General Council of the Assemblies of God from 2005-2019.
His decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Award, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Army Ranger Tab.
His education includes a Master of Business Administration Degree, a Master of Divinity Degree, a Doctor of Ministry Degree, and graduation from The United States Army War College. Additionally, he serves as a consultant to the American Council on Education. In recent years, he and his wife have written several Christian devotionals. In addition, Scott co-authored a Christian action-novel and served as the managing editor for the The Warrior’s Bible, an application bible for the military community.
Scott presently serves as the Executive Liaison for The Warrior’s Journey, a non-profit organization that supports the military community. He’s also a member of the Distinguished Advisory Board for Battle Ready Ministries.
Chaplain McChrystal and his wife, Judy, live in Springfield, Missouri, and have 4 children and 12 grandchildren.
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