Work-Life Balance Proverbs 23:4,5

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
    do not trust your own cleverness.
 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
    for they will surely sprout wings
    and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:4,5)

Dear Father,

Some of these children will pursue business or professional careers. With that, there is always the temptation to become a workaholic. Several factors can lead to that. One is a desire and drive for financial success. Another is the desire for status and recognition. Another is simply competition. Another is actually guilt of not working hard enough. Another is fear of being fired or of the business/practice needing a surplus of work to avoid running out. And another is the meritorious desire to serve customers, patients or clients. This proverb speaks to wealth accumulation but all of these motivations derive from attempts to find our meaning, our identity, our security from our work.

I pray that these children soon come to understand that, though you do want us to work diligently at our job, you do not want our work to define us nor do you want us to look to our work for our security. I pray that they develop as strong sense of identity in you and that they look solely to you for their security. I pray that they understand the need to focus on the priorities you have given them - service to you, relationship with their spouse and involvement with their children - all of which are of a higher priority that their career and business pursuits. Help them to find that balance between the responsibility to earn a living and the responsibility to their higher priorities.

Also, I pray that they are able to find rest so that they do not "wear themselves out" and that they are able to rest without feelings of guilt for having done so.

And as for trust, I pray that they learn not to trust in their own cleverness, their own talent, their own intellect, nor trust in the accumulation of wealth all which can lead them to feelings of self-sufficiency without the need for you. But I pray that they instead deeply understand the need to trust in you, viewing their talents and their accumulation of assets only as blessings you have given them for the purpose of blessing others.

Amen