Fall is harvest time in Prince Edward Island, Canada, a place, it seems, where potatoes grow every inch.

When I grew up in PEI, it was common for children to have a couple weeks off from school during the month of September in order to work in the fields. The younger children carried water to the workers. The older children carried a woven basket to pick up potatoes left behind by the digger. Once the basket was full, it would be emptied into a potato sack lying on the side of each row; then you would continue down the row until you reached the end. Each field hand was assigned so many rows to “pick” within a day.

When you are younger, a field with several acres of potatoes can be an overwhelming task. It was backbreaking work to say the least. And it was dirty work. We would be covered in red clay ~ in our eyes, our nostrils, our ears, under our fingernails ~ everywhere you can think of.

Even though the work was tedious and dirty, we delved into it because we were being rewarded ~ just a few dollars and a couple of homemade meals ~ but it was enough to encourage us to work with care.

As children, the ten of us learned from our parents that “hard work builds character” and “hard work never hurt anyone.” Their words taught us well and we all became diligent, adopting a strong work ethic, even if we didn’t like the work assigned to us.

As I matured, I learned another reason to work hard. Hard work is actually blessed by God. He assigns each and every one of us certain gifts and talents, which He hopes we will use for His glory and for the building of His kingdom. Even if we feel we are not well rewarded for the work we do each and every day, let’s remember that any work done for the Lord, regardless of what it is, will yield great rewards in His time.

“Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul),
as (something done) for the Lord and not for men.”
Colossians 3:23 (AMP)