06/18/2019 - Work life and beyond

We are busy in our office, doing research and preparing content for our next quarterly newsletter.  It will focus on the theme of college vs work vs trade school.  We think you will enjoy it and benefit from reading it.

We believe this is an important area to address for a number of reasons.  1) Work is a gift from God and it has purposes in our life besides money or power.  2) Many people encourage their children and grandchildren to choose the "college default" without considering whether it is appropriate, helpful, or fitting for that young person.  3) There is great meaning and purpose in life when we do what God has called us to do, regardless of whether that involves college preparation.

Having said all of that, please understand that we are not against college education.  It is right and appropriate in many cases.  However, we do not believe it should be the automatic default in every case.  Students today are amassing debt in record waves and coming out of college without the training or skills (or ambition) to work to pay off that debt.  It is a very dangerous place for young people to begin their own personal financial lives.

Please take a minute to read the feature article we are linking below.  It addresses the role of work throughout our lives.

Retirement: Life in Christ after a Career - excerpted from www.beaconwealth.com

Howard Dayton, founder of Compass Financial Ministries, writes well in his book Your Money Counts, “A primary purpose of work is to develop character. While the carpenter is building a house, the house is also building the carpenter. Skill, diligence, manual dexterity, and judgment are refined…A close friend has a sister who has been supported by her parents for more than 30 years. She has never had to face the responsibilities and hardships involved with a job. As a consequence, her character has not been properly developed and she is immature in many areas of her life.”

Work of many kinds has benefits. “In all labor, there is profit…” (Prov. 14:23a) Some of which are that it can build and sustain a humbling appreciation of the struggles of others because it often creates opportunities to interact with people we might not associate with otherwise. Whether as colleagues, managers, or interacting with customers, a professional relationship inspires respect and thoughtful behavior. Work forces us to maintain high levels of cognition and time management to complete tasks. It also provides a sense of fulfillment and purpose in society.

Read full article here