Everything was green and growing except for one obvious thing: a massive dead tree. Our family had lived in the same house in Canada for a couple of years, and the tree—right in front of our house and garage—had died. This tree was at least three or four feet thick, and not only was it hard wood, but it taught us a lesson about hard work.

This tree had died in the winter, and we put off cutting it down all spring and into summer. Finally, nearly halfway through the summer, we resolved to get the job done. Before we began cutting though, my dad told us the true purpose of conquering this monster of a tree: We were not just cutting this tree down because it looked bad, because it was dead, or because we needed firewood. We were cutting it down to learn work ethic as a family.

For many generations, our family has had the tradition of chopping firewood. We would ensure that every piece of the tree was used for something useful, not just idly burned as scrap. This took much more effort than we liked, but it was a blessing when we needed wood while there was four feet of snow on the ground.

The job required us to cut every piece of wood to the length of our fireplace, split the logs, and pick up all the little pieces of wood to be used for kindling. My dad didn’t allow my sisters to use the chainsaw; they were assigned various other jobs. And since I was only 11, I was only allowed to use the chainsaw once the tree was felled. This was extremely fun—but tiring because it required awareness and respect for the heavy tool.

Once the logs were cut to length and split into the right size, we would carry them to the woodshed and stack them. Then came the less desirable work. My whole family would pick up and bundle the abundance of sticks and twigs on the ground. Bundling was the last thing to do, but the menial and tedious task truly tried our patience and resolve to complete the job. The process was not without its frustrations, but we learned a great lesson.

Work ethic is only truly learned and burned into your being through practice—real hard work. There is also something powerful about working outside with your hands that really drives home the meaning of hard work. Our dad forced us to finish the job when all we wanted to do was eat dinner and watch Star Wars. The importance of learning work ethic when you are young really pays off as you grow up.

Proverbs 14:23 says “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tends only to penury.” This shows how God wants all of us to develop work ethic to the point where we are not just talking about how good we are at working, but how reliable we are to finish a job. It wasn’t necessary that we cut down this tree in our front yard. It was still a strong and stable tree that wasn’t even putting our home at risk. But even a dead tree can teach you lessons that will live with you for the rest of your life.

I learned that it is important to do things with all our might even if the job is unpleasant (Ecclesiastes 9:10). This experience taught us to have fun while we work but to also do the parts of the jobs that require some determination. Not only did it teach us to work hard, but it provided our family with firewood—and a new base for a basketball hoop. So don’t ignore the dead trees; get out there and get dirty. A few little twigs and some sawdust can really drive home this essential lesson. I deeply learned the importance of work ethic that summer, and it has stuck with me since like sawdust sticks to your clothes.