These Are the Workers

The community college about half an hour away from us closed their auto-body mechanics program this past year. They didn't have enough students enrolled to make a go of it.

That doesn't really seem like much of a big deal (I mean, it's a small town and all), but  it's a symptom.

It's a symptom of the current climate.

Nineteen-year-olds make hundreds of thousands of dollars posing for Instagram followers, and then quit it all because they don't feel like they're being "authentic." College students need to be taught how to clean a toilet, because they've never done it before. If someone chooses a manual labor job, then they're "wasting their potential."

I know that I'm not really one to talk, sitting behind this computer screen, typing away in my living room with my PJ's on. All the work I do, even my day job, includes sitting at a desk in air conditioning. There's not much dirt under my fingernails.



My husband, on the other hand...


My husband is one of the smartest people I know. He can fix just about anything. He makes wise decisions about how and where to spend money. He's efficient, he's productive, and he's strong.

There is almost always dirt under his fingernails.


I thought I was going to marry a business man, like my father. There would have been nothing wrong with that, of course, but then I fell in love with a huge guy who carries a multi-tool everywhere he goes.

It's a good thing I married Trevor. I don't think I would value, nearly as much as I do now, the work and the life of a maintenance man.

I am so proud of that guy. He comes home from work sweaty, sore, and typically covered in mud or grease or both. He impacts thousands of people, and most will never know his name. He'll never be featured on TV. He just barely knows what Instagram is, and he'll certainly never get paid for taking a picture of his shoes.

But it doesn't matter. Because he makes a difference, and he loves what he does. Trevor does his work to the glory of God--- not to the glory of himself.




I know we aren't supposed to talk religion or politics (and I already talk constantly about religion- it's my hot topic of choice). I'm going to, anyway.

We can't go on like this. 

Not as a culture, and not as a country.

We need the workers. 

We need the people behind the scenes, doing data entry. We need the accountants. We need the maintenance workers and the plumbers and the construction workers.

We need the auto-body mechanics.

Having lots of social media followers is wonderful, but can you help someone pull their car out of a ditch in the pouring rain? It's nice to be noticed, but who will do the things that go unnoticed unless they're left undone?

God will use you, no matter if you're a youth director or a blogger or a teacher or a plumber. As long as you do what you've been given to do with joy and to His glory, He'll use it.

Popularity and fame are fleeting. An adaptable mind, a willing heart, and practical skill will always be valuable. 




As you think about the many people who make your life what it is, say a little prayer of thanks for the people behind the scenes. The electric company people. The air conditioner installer. Janitors and custodians who make us feel welcome and care for public spaces. Farmers who grew your food, and the hands that processed it. The plumber who made sure that the hot water works.

Notice them.

Say thank you when you can.

And never, ever, put them down for their job or their service. These are the workers, and they are very important.

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