What do a waiter, a video game clerk, a telemarketer, a babysitter and a maintenance man have in common? Two weeks ago they were all unemployed teenagers, eating our food and sucking up our air conditioning. Then, one by one they came home and proudly said those four little words my husband has longed to hear, “I got a job!” 

            Even now, the memory of it makes me all goosepimply! Sure, they are still eating our food and sucking up our air-conditioning, but finally, at long last, they’re employed.  

             To be fair, I fault myself that this moment has been so long coming. Summer has always been a time of family reunification when for three brief months we all stopped moving in different directions and just enjoyed hanging out together. I was in no hurry to have my “mommy time” infringed on by reality. That was then; now our teens are more interested in bonding with their pillows and video games than with me. That’s not to imply that making them get a job was revenge. I prefer to think of it as making them pay –for their own movie tickets, and gas, and all other things they do without me. Thus the job searches began.           

            Michael was the first to secure gainful employment. A premed student in college, he’s getting an opportunity to see bacteria up close and personal –in the bottom of every trash can he empties as part of a company maintenance staff. Its honest work for honest pay that has honestly made him more committed to his college education.

            Chase, also on break from college, landed a job as a waiter. Our first born, it seems incongruous that he now spends hours waiting on others when he has spent a lifetime trying to get others to wait on him. Surprisingly, he likes his job. I wish I could say it was the people who motivate him, but it’s the people’s money. He works hard for the instant gratification the tips provide, and in the process has learned not everyone chooses to show adequate appreciation for excellent service. Some lessons money can’t buy. 

            Our middle son Bailey is a people-person, who ironically is now spending hours a day alone connected to a phone as part of his new telemarketing career. He’s the new voice of a major department store. Now when you call its customer service department to resolve your important issues, you will be assisted by my 16-year-old who still wakes up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons and gets excited by the toy in a Cracker Jack box.  

            At only fifteen, our daughter Hannah’s employment opportunities are limited. She picks up babysitting jobs when she can and supplements her finances working at her daddy’s office a few times a month. She is a simple girl with simple needs. I expect that to change anytime.

            Joseph, Chase’s college roommate who’s crashing with us for the summer, has more work experience than all the others combined. From supervising soccer referees to selling kitchen knives, he has accumulated a diverse resume. It was no surprise that he was able to quickly find a job working at a video game store. As parents, we could learn much from his mom and dad, who instilled the value of work into their children at an early age; but it’s not too late. There are still important lessons we can teach – and learn.

            Foremost, we have urged them all to remember for whom they are really working.

            “It is the Lord Christ you are serving (so) … whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward…and do it not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”

            Even bosses should remember they have a Boss so “treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don't forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master - God in heaven.”  Colossians 3:23-4:1