Whistle As You Work #6: Providing for Your Family

As we look at loving our neighbor through our work, we need to look first at who our neighbor is. The Good Samaritan in Luke’s gospel answers the question – if a Samaritan could be an ancient Jew’s neighbor, anyone is a neighbor. Let’s start with those neighbors who actually live with us. Our family.

Your family is the first neighbor you can love through your work. You love them by providing for them – the same way you provided for yourself.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. … If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. – 1 Timothy 5.4, 8

In this case we’re talking about providing for your parents, in this case a widow. That’s your responsibility (see also Mark 7).

While we’re looking primarily at material provision so far, this I think would be a primary contribution of those who aren’t “breadwinners,” but who are the stay at home parent. And it shouldn’t be understated. My wife “works” a couple part-time jobs to help materially, but there’s no measure to be put on the role she plays in shaping the lives of our girls. It’s value is inestimable.

We ought to whistle as we work because, whether it is provision through punching the clock, or being unpaid in the job that you never clock out of, our work provides for our families, our first neighbors. How do you love your family through your work?