“All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty.”
- Proverbs 14:23 (NIV)

A battered lunch pail has long served as the trademark of Virginia Tech’s rough-and-tough style of defensive football. It symbolizes the blue-collar work ethic that the Hokies adopted long ago as they changed from a doormat into one of the most consistent programs in college football. “What that lunch pail is about is going out and earning success and deserving victory, whatever it is, whether, it’s on the field or off the field,” says Bud Foster, who started the lunch pail tradition after he was named Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator in 1995. For years, Foster has awarded the lunch pail to the team’s defensive MVP from the previous week’s game. Too often, in the world of sports and in life, we forget the value of good old fashion “hard work”. We hear the talk, but we don’t see the walk.

God tells us that all honorable work is profitable, but talk leads only to poverty. Do you know anyone that talks about their problems for hours but never lifts a finger to solve them? Coach Foster also chose the lunch pail because it represented the work ethic and pride of the working class community living the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Virginia Tech campus. It takes hard work to get things done. “Get up, pack your lunch, and go to work!” What a simple, but profound approach to coaching as well as life.

Lord, help me not to be afraid of hard work. Too often I call out to you for help, yet am not willing to do my part. Father help me today to get up, pack my lunch, and go to work!. Amen.