Without Hard Work Hard Nothing Grows But Weeds.
This Quote by Gordon B Hinkley[1]is of great interest to me because life is like a battle and when you cease from fighting for the good, the bad automatically takes over. Life is about the choices that you make, knowing that every choice has consequences. God has given every person the important ability to make rational decisions to make the right choices in life. Despite of this God given ability, its not uncommon to make wrong choices in life because there other factors that come into play to influence our choices, Reading the book by Tourish, The Dark Side of Transformation leadership just showed how much influence a leader has on the followers in the place of work. Tourish[2]goes further to discuss how the transformational leadership model leads into a cult and influences the followers to subordinate their decisions and choices to those of the leader.
I was brought up in a Christian family and the culture of hard work was I calculated in me early on in life by the constant reminder of the benefits of hard work by my mother. I still remember that cleanliness was also emphasized early on in life as second to godliness. This culture was also reinforced in me because I attended a grade school that was sponsored by a Protestant church and hard work was always emphasized, one particulate teacher Henry was notable for constantly talking about our future and how it depended on whether we work hard in school or not. I can attest to the truth of this because I have always subscribed to always working hard and can attest to the fact the hard work always rewards, the opposite is true that laziness can only lead to ‘growth of weeds’ in your life. Paul tells the Colossians[3], whatever you do, do it with you’re your heart as doing it unto God and not unto men which is the same emphasis on hard work but with the right attitude of doing it unto God and not just for men or for selfish gain.
It’s very remarkable that Max Weber[4]attributes the growth of capitalism to the Protestant Ethic and especially points out Europe and America. This in a big way, highlights how much influence religious beliefs have on people which should be of great interest to us as Christian leaders, as to how we can leverage our positions and opportunity to influence development for the well-being of the oppressed. My observation from where I live in my African context, is that poverty is more widespread where the church has had no influence. Most of good schools, hospitals, colleges and other institutions that promote development in my country Kenya, are sponsored by the church and the availability of such institutions in any area dictate the state of the wellbeing of the people. We have been working in the poorest areas of Kenya as a ministry for slightly over 20 years and we have witnessed great transformation of lives. Our focus as an organization is vulnerable communities in Kenya and Beyond (we’re now starting in Liberia in West Africa). We normally start with the vulnerable children where we establish Christian schools and intentionally empower their families holistically through business training, vocational skills trading, health education and curative services while sharing the Gospel and planting churches. I cannot overemphasize the power of the Gospel to change lives because it is so powerful and we have countless stories of peoples lives that have been changed. I will share one story to illustrate this. As we started our first Christian school in a slum community called Mathare valley in Nairobi, Kenya, we encountered Anne who, was a beggar on a popular street in the city. Anne was referred to us after a bad encounter with the police who chased her away from her popular begging joint with her three boys. Two of her school age children were admitted to our school and this gave us an opportunity to influence Anne to accept Jesus as her savior through our interaction over time. Anne could go back to beg but she had a business idea that we helped her to start by giving a Microfinance loan. Through her new found faith and the subsequent transformation, its amazing what has happened in Anne’s life today. She was able to grow her business, going back to the same street that she used to beg to successfully solicit supply tenders to supply laundry soap to restaurants where she used to beg for food. Today Anne is a successful business woman, a church women leader and her first born son is a college graduate, his second born son is in college while his third born is in high school, she also owns her own decent house. The most remarkable thing about Anne is that she has mobilized many poor women in the slums and helped them by introducing them to our Microfinance program with the same results.
Today as I reflect on Max Weber’s book[5]and the influence of the Protestant ethic, I’m all the more persuaded to pursue my dissertation topic, and ultimately develop a biblically based financial literacy tool that will empower church leaders and pastors to empower the poor economically and more so as a tool of evangelism.
[1]Gordon B Hinkley. President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from March 1995 to his death in January 2008.
[2]Dennis Tourish, (2013). The Dark Side of Transformational Leadership. A Critical Perspective. Routledge, Sussex (2013). UK.
[3]The Bible, Colossians 3:23;
[4]Max Weber (2003). The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by Talcott Parsons. Dove Publications (2003), New York, USA.
[5]Max Weber (2003). The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. Translated by Talcott Parsons. Dover Publications (2003), New York. USA.
About the Author
Wallace Kamau
Wallace is a believer in Christ, Married to Mary Kamau (Founder and Executive Director of Missions of Hope International) and father to 3 Wonderful children, Imani Kamau (Graduate student at London School of Economics, UK), Victory Kamau (Undergraduate student at Portland state University, Oregon, USA) and David Kamau ( Grade student at Rosslyn Academy). Founder and Director, Missions of Hope International (www.mohiafrica.org), CPA, BAchelor of Commerce (Accounting) from University of Nairobi, Masters of Arts (Leadership) from Pan African Christian University.7 responses to “Without Hard Work Hard Nothing Grows But Weeds.”
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Another great post Wallace, thanks for sharing the personal stories as well. I think what you have shared shows exactly what the book was pointing out and what has happened in Europe and America. Meaning that the good of the Gospel is touching the land but when we divorce the work ethic and relational ties to the Christian ethos, the microfinance loans end up becoming “loan shark” loans. I’m reminded that the scriptures teach that the wheat and the tare grow together and for me, that speaks to the need all the more for the work you are doing.
Thank you Mario for that addition on the danger of divorcing the work ethic and the relational ties in the Christian ethos, the microfinance loan becomes a “loan shark”. This is so true and we witness this every so often as many poor people are pushed into a debt trap that keeps them in a viscous cycle of poverty. It’s the wholistic approach of both the work ethic and the relational ties of sharing the Gospel that makes the difference.
Thank you, Wallace. This is an excellent story and one that needs to be repeated in the US and around the globe. Your emphasis on the holistic approach is most important as it keeps the motivation in its proper place, which you address with Mario. It is when this gets skewed that I addressed in my post and the “tail wags the dog.” What are some checks and balances you keep in place in this regard?
Thank you Tammy, I totally agree with you on the need to keep it holistic. I would say that structuring whatever we do into programs with appropriate organizational structure is key to its sustainability. We’re very keen on documenting the model as it is today as a basis of replicating in multiples places but also to ensure that it can easily be shared with others that would be interested in using the model.
Wallace,
Thanks so much for sharing both your personal as well as your ministry experiences. You make the point so much more clearly and succinctly than Weber. That is, the power of the Gospel to change lives holistically for individuals, families, and communities (including their socioeconomic opportunities).
Wallace, your work is amazing and a true example of how true Christian ethics can make a difference. I think the true meaning of some of the Christian efforts get lost with time. However, I think the same is true here in the United States, since so many Colleges and Universities were founded by Christians. It seems Weber missed some of these good outcomes.
Amazing post Wallace. I love hearing stories of when financial tools positively influence peoples lives. Your work in Kenya (and now Liberia) is so moving!