The habit that changed how my kids see work

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

To kick off the new year, we are diving into one of the most practical books in the Bible: James. Over the next five weeks, I’ll focus on one section of each of the book's five chapters and apply it to the work God has called you and me to do in 2026.

Given that Christmas has just passed, I thought we'd start with James’s reminder that “every good and perfect gift” is not ultimately from Amazon or even your mother, but from God.

Of course, God is perfectly capable of giving good gifts miraculously (see manna from heaven as case-in-point). But all throughout Scripture, we see that God most frequently chooses to deliver his gifts through the work of human hands. 

For example, while God could have miraculously ended the famine in Egypt and Canaan, he chose to do that work through a government official named Joseph (see Genesis 41-45). While God could have miraculously given his people the gift of a fully furnished tabernacle, he chose to craft that gift through the work of artisans like Bezalel and Oholiab (see Exodus 31).

Here’s the principle: God delivers extraordinary gifts through seemingly ordinary work. Or, as C.S. Lewis once put it, “God is love, and that love works through men.”

My family has a fun habit to remind ourselves of this truth. Frequently, after thanking God for something, I will challenge the kids to list out every job they can think of that God used to deliver that gift. For example, a couple of weeks ago we thanked God for safe travels to Chicago, and my kids then thanked God for the pilots, mechanics, and TSA agents he used to give us the gift of safety. 

This practice always awakens three things in me and my family:

• Awe of God and how he is able to deliver his extraordinary gifts in such creative and complex ways
• Appreciation of others whom God uses to bring about his blessings through jobs seemingly big and small
• A healthy sense of responsibility to do our own work well, knowing our jobs are conduits for the good gifts of God

I hope you sense all three of those things this morning. 

“God could easily give you grain and fruit without your plowing and planting,” said Martin Luther, “but he does not want to do so.” Because he has ordained your work to be one of the primary instruments through which he delivers “every good and perfect gift” to the world. I pray that leads you to lean into your work with unprecedented joy, excellence, and love in 2026!