Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. Ecclesiastes 4:9
When I was in high school, the churches in our town decided to reserve the big pavilion at the county fairgrounds for a weeklong youth conference.
One night, during the meeting, the power went out. Since no storm was racing through the city, we knew bad weather hadn’t knocked it out. We had no idea what had. The guy who was the host of the event went to the center of the platform and called out—remember, no electricity meant no microphones—to everyone in the large auditorium, “Don’t panic. We’ve lost power, but we think we can fix it.”
Then he asked all of us to raise our arms high into the air. “Do you believe in the wisdom of old Chinese proverbs?” the enthusiastic man shouted. We already had our hands in the air.
“Yes,” we responded, having no idea what was going on.
“Well, I want you to shake your hands.” We obeyed. “Now really shake them.” We shook them.
In a moment the lights were on. The microphone popped its return to life. We all shouted our happiness in being able to see again, but we were still waiting for the Chinese proverb.
Our cheesy host went back to the microphone. “Confucius says, ‘Many hands make light work.’”
Well-deserved groans and catcalls came from everywhere. But soon we were laughing at ourselves, having been caught in such an obvious setup. Decades later, not only do I still remember this silly trick, but I am still certain of its truth.
Families are a lot of work. Have you noticed? There is always something to pick up, clean up, fix up, put up—always. And most people—especially dads—would rather be served than serve. Although we wouldn’t call it laziness, between you and me, this is pretty much what it is.
With this text, King Solomon is delivering a timely message to us. He’s telling us to pitch in. He’s challenging us to change a diaper, empty the dishwasher, or offer a cool glass of iced tea to our kids’ mom. He’s reminding us that this family thing is a team; we’re working together for one another. Helping out is one simple way of showing our wife and children or stepchildren that we really are thankful for them.
Several years ago, Rusty, a close friend of mine decided that “many hands make light work.” Right after dinner, he announced, “I’ll do the dinner dishes.” His wife and kids sat at the table, stunned at the offer. The next night, my friend did the same—and the next night, and the next night. For two solid weeks, Rusty did the dinner dishes.
Early one morning, once Rusty had successfully shuffled to the bathroom for his morning routine, he flipped on the light to see something he had never seen before. There, right in the middle of his line of vision, taped to the mirror, was a note from his wife. “Thanks for being my best friend” was all it said.
Look around. There are plenty of little things to do. Rally the troops together. Lead the charge. Get busy. Many hands—your hands—make light work.