Salt and Light: Whistle While You Work
By Brent Davis
In the Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, there is a delightful scene where Snow White and all the little forest animals clean the dwarves’ home while singing, “Whistle While You Work.” Mad Magazine, a font of wise sayings (or was it wisecracks?), also recommended whistling while you work. “It will drive everyone crazy!”
Whether you whistle or not, our attitude toward work is important. Paul wrote:
Colossians 3:23–24
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Paul did not specifically address the issue of whistling.
Another term for work is vocation, which comes from the Latin word for calling, as in God calls us to specific tasks, such as nursing, or pharmacy, or clinical research:
Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820-Aug. 13, 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Born in Florence, Italy, into a wealthy family, she defied the expectations of the time and pursued what she called her “God-given calling” of nursing. (https://www.aacn.org/nursing-excellence/nurse-stories/a-conversation-with-florence-nightingale)
If God has called us to our work, and we are to do it for His glory, perhaps a little whistling is in order!
