There are certain words in life you want to grab a hold to and run with. A lot of times the wisdom we gain comes from our own past mistakes or the passing of another calendar year filled with new life lessons. Every once in awhile, if you’re lucky, you’ll be around someone that shares wisdom without ever realizing they do so. The kind of wise that when they speak, everyone leans in and listens. Many people have been fortunate enough to learn from Bob Lamb in this way. When ol’ Bob starts to speak, you know that there will be something to take hold of from the conversation.

When you show up to the farm there are no daunting guidelines or restrictions but there are four rules that ol’ Bob wants everyone to know. There’s no sign painted on the wall that states the four rules and you wont be tested on it but you might benefit from listening.  

1. Be careful

As in take your time in whatever you’re doing. If you don’t know how to do something, be honest and say so. Its much more important to be careful in the job you are doing then hurrying to get it done. Its important to realize that thinking before you react to something is the most valuable tool you can have. Be careful in the work that you do, how you speak to those around you, and how you treat every situation.

2. Do good work

Good work is integrity at its core. There is something to be said for hard and honest labor. The thing about good work is its often small tedious chores that add up to major accomplishments in the long run. You wont always feel the success of good work at the time, but you will reap the benefits later. The root of good work comes from something much bigger than yourself, it’s the drive to wake up and go about your day for the glory of the Lord.

3. Do lots of good work

When we begin to feel the accomplishment of hard work and seeing a job through, we will understand the blessing of it. This one will prove itself to you over and over again. The better the work you do, the more productive you’ll want to be. Whether that is helping someone else along the way in their work or being more efficient in the job you’re doing, do good work, and do lots of it.

4. Like what you’re doing and have fun

It wouldn’t be fair to say that every job or task you do will continue to be the best one yet but that is why this rule is so important. For some of us, your day to day tasks may be a means to an end but how you treat the work you do determines the value you will get from it. When your attitude is set on heaven then any job can be pointed to the glory of God.

As I heard these rules I was reminded that this was another one of those moments in life where you want to lean in and listen. The Lord didn’t call everyone to farm, or to teach, or to mop floors, but He did call each and everyone of us to be faithful in whatever work we do. Behind every one of these rules is the reminder of who we really work for.  At the end of the day, the countless hours at our job or the intention to make every hour count shouldn’t be for our earthly boss but for our Heavenly Father.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Colossians 3:23