Being happy in our work

“Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19
I am very blessed (I initially wrote ‘fortunate’, but that conveys the idea of fate, luck, and chance) to have a job that I enjoy doing. Many people don’t have this, and work is a never-ending stream of drudgery, week in, week out. Sure, some days are better than others, but on the whole I am thankful for the independence and flexibility I have. During my student days I worked on the checkout at a local supermarket, which really opened my eyes to see how for some people, that is all they can ever aspire to. I remember one night one of the other girls getting really upset with both me and the supervisor because I had been asked to empty the rubbish bins – doing any little job that was different to scanning and packing food items was highly desirable just to break the monotony. I don’t remember what I said, but in hindsight I should have just said that she could do it – knowing that for me it was just a temporary, part time thing to earn a bit of money, while for her it was a big deal. I suppose even then I was trying to do the best job that I could, even for something as mundane as packing groceries.
It’s easy for us to look at others around us and envy their position or their salary. But we should not concern ourselves with other people. We should simply be thankful to God for what He has given us, and stop comparing ourselves with other people. Being content with our lives is indeed a gift of God, and one we can all be thankful for, if we have it. (If not, it’s not too late to learn to be content!)