Every Christian is a minister and labor is worship! – Ed Silvoso

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

How much of a role do the prayers of parents play in the development of good work ethics in their children?

In the Fall of 2005 when my son Robbie started college in the Engineering School at the University of Virginia, I began praying regularly that he would develop a good work ethic. He had never had a regular full-time job and I was concerned about that. I felt he was very lax in his study habits in his senior year of high school.

In January 2006, Robbie called me to say he was possibly interested in working for College Works Painting (CWP). After researching CWP myself, I decided this was a good opportunity for Robbie to develop management and leadership skills in addition to a good work ethic. Toby did a presentation about CWP to more than 1,000 college students at the University of Virginia. Of these, more than 100 were personally interviewed. Robbie was chosen to be part of a small group of less than 10 people to work under Toby’s supervision.

Robbie had intense training for his new position during the first few months of 2006. By the time school ended in May 2006, Robbie had already booked $55,000 of work for the summer. That was amazing to me for someone who had never been involved in sales. He then had to round-up the necessary workers, arrange their training, and manage them. While Robbie had never painted a house before, he did a terrific job supervising others to ensure all the work got done and well.

CWP kept 40% of Robbie’s gross income. By the time Robbie paid all his workers and other expenses, his net income was only $5,000-$7,000. However, Robbie had learned practical and valuable lessons about sales, marketing, management, and leadership.

When the Fall semester at UVA began, Robbie chose to take the systems engineering track. I really appreciated what he learned. It’s my understanding that system engineers put together teams of people to solve big problems by developing systems. That’s practical in almost any line of work.

Little did I know that God would bless my prayers for Robbie to develop a good work ethic by training him well and then sending him to work for me full-time this summer. He has already made a tremendous difference in my success in the marketplace.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the power of prayer. Thank You for the good work ethic You have instilled in my children. Teach parents who read this message how to pray effectively for their children. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
History of Work Ethic [http://www.coe.uga.edu/workethic/hpro.html]

Blessings for you and your family members to have a godly work ethic!