Work and Marriage: A Parable of Life

In my country, work is like marriage. Many say there is no work, yet in reality, there is more work than those willing to take it. The problem is not the absence of opportunities but the unwillingness to recognize and embrace them.

Just as some people miss out on marriage because they hold on to an imagined picture of a perfect spouse, many remain in poverty because they continually pass over real work opportunities, waiting for the kind of work that fits the image in their mind.

Scripture is clear: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). God does not call us to wait for ideal circumstances before we act; He calls us to engage diligently with what is at hand. Even in Eden, before the fall of man, the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it (Genesis 2:15). Work is not a curse but a divine assignment.

Yet many despise small beginnings. They forget the words of Jesus: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much (Luke 16:10). Faithfulness in humble tasks is often the pathway to greater responsibility. To reject present opportunities while waiting for imagined ones is to forfeit growth.

Marriage offers a parallel truth. A spouse must be cherished as God’s gift, not measured against an unrealistic image. In the same way, work must be valued as God’s provision and pursued with diligence. Proverbs teaches, In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury (Proverbs 14:23). Complaining without working leads only to poverty.

The truth is simple: opportunities are everywhere, but those who ignore them remain stagnant. Those who embrace work, in any form, position themselves for increase. As Paul admonished, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men (Colossians 3:23). Seeing work as service to God transforms every task into a seed with eternal value.

Conclusion

Work is not scarce—vision and humility are. Stop waiting for a perfect image in your mind. Recognize the work before you, embrace it, and do it faithfully as unto the Lord. In doing so, you move from lack to fruitfulness, and from delay to destiny. Both marriage and work thrive not in fantasy but in faithfulness.