NOTE: This post is part of a group writing project for HighCallingBlogs.com called Lessons from Odd Jobs. Visit our main page to read more Lessons from Odd Jobs.

When I graduated from high school, there weren’t too many jobs to choose from. Unemployment was high, and the “Rust Belt” was beginning to show its colors. So, along with a couple of friends, I went downtown to a day labor service called Labor Temps. It opened my naïve young eyes. I worked at a job site tearing down a building. That was actually fun but sort of shady. Each regular employee received a check on Fridays. Then they walked ten feet from where they received their check and cashed it. No one ever left the building with a check. That was interesting.

Another time I worked for a moving company. We went out and moved welfare recipients. Narrow staircases, old buildings, and no air conditioning made for difficult working conditions. I noticed that their stuff was nice. Actually, some of it was nicer than the stuff we had at my house. That was interesting too.

When temp jobs didn’t come in, we sat and waited. One group waited down the street at a place where they could quench their thirst. I had not known that bars opened so early in the morning. And I sure didn't understand why anyone would frequent one. These weren’t young men looking to find any work they could. No, these were men approaching middle-age. That really got my attention. I wondered what they were doing with their lives. I tried not to pity them. I tried not to judge them. After all, times were hard. I wondered though.

Fortunately I didn’t have to dwell on things for too long at Labor Temp. After a few weeks, I got a job at a plating factory. Electro-plating nickel, copper, and chrome were its primary functions. The stench from that factory stays with me today. When I smell exhaust from a car, a whiff of chromium takes me back. I worked in plating factories for about three years. I don’t want to think about the long-term damage to my lungs or other internal organs. I was just happy to have a permanent job.

That was the best part about work in plating factories. I no longer went to Labor Temp. The temp work I did, the things I saw, and even some of the people made me sad. The world looked bleak, and work looked even bleaker.

But there was hope. I learned that no matter how much I detested school, it was really my only way out. I needed these jobs to pay for my education. I was grateful for the opportunities to earn a wage. I met many good people along the way and some unique characters that I remember fondly.

In the middle of all this, hope was a fast moving train, blurry and difficult to recognize. On the other side now, I can see the blessings more clearly, but I still remember the despair.

Blessing and despair are both important. Despair shows us a world without God—it's hell. But blessing connects us with the kingdom of God.

That's the end of my post, but as fellow High Calling Blogger Dan King says, this post is not just a message about what I've learned, it is part of a Group Writing Project Meme from HighCallingBlogs.com. The guidelines for this meme are simple:

1. Write a post about some strange job you’ve had and what you learned from it.

2. Link to this and other “Lessons from Odd Jobs” posts around the highcallingblogs.com network, or quote them in your post with proper attribution.

3. Tag your post “lessons from odd jobs”—if you use technorati tags or another form of meta-tags.

4. Tag other bloggers by linking to them in your post and inviting them to participate in the meme. Tag as many people as you like! So I am tagging...

• Tod Bolsinger
• Gordon Atkinson
• Bill Peel
• Mark D. Roberts
• Steve Gibson
  

5. Link back to the Lessons from Odd Jobs page in your post and email this month’s host at “Marcus AT highcallingblogs DOT com.” Linking back and emailing Marcus isn’t a requirement, it just helps us keep track of what’s going on.

 

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