Article April 25, 1988 Issue

Work—a gift from God?

Is going to work something you dread? There's a way that's better than quitting or retiring. A true view of employment makes all the difference.

Elizabeth Stapler

Readers of a popular comic strip, "Beetle Bailey," are familiar with the humorous antics of the main character in his attempts to avoid work. In one strip, Beetle is in his usual "Z" position—snoring away. On the wall above, someone has written the word work. In subsequent frames these words appear on the wall: "Work is God's gift to all of us ...," along with several other statements praising the opportunities of labor. On waking, after reading the messages, Beetle grumbles: "They sure know how to hurt a guy."^{"Beetle Bailey" by Mort Walker. Copyright 1986, King Features Syndicate, Inc. Quoted with special permission of King Features Syndicate, Inc .}

Kidding aside, how do you feel about working? Is work what you consider "a necessary evil" or something you hope to escape someday either through retirement or "when your ship comes in"? Are you under a burden of too much labor, or suffering with a sense of emptiness because of underemployment or no employment?

It's really no joke to face each day under such cloudy skies. I know, because for many years I felt the frustration, resentment, and desperation of being unhappy in my employment.

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