10 Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw.
Have you ever had to complete an unreasonable task? You know the kind of task where you just want to say out loud, “This is stupid!” You know you are being given the task so that you will fail. There is no way to actually complete the task. Pharaoh has given the Israelites just such a task. Straw is an essential element of sun dried bricks. It provides the structure that holds the mud together. And it costs nothing. Straw is just the junk left over after grain has been extracted. It normally gets discarded or used as bedding for cattle. You cut down the grain, thresh it, and then gather the heads of grain. The straw isn’t really important. Pharaoh is just trying to put pressure on the Israelites. You would think he would want to do just the opposite. His fear is that they will rebel. It seems as though that is exactly what he is pushing them to do by taking away their straw. Having to accomplish stupid tasks leads to rebellion. When we don’t feel like our work has meaning, we start looking for another place to work. We want to feel valued for what we do. If every day is a grind, it can be hard to keep going. God made us to seek out meaning for our lives. When pressure is applied because of “stupid” tasks, tasks that we have difficulty finding value, we rebel. We can do that through a drop in our productivity. We can also do it in an attitude change. And usually that change is not for the better. We grumble and complain about the task. Then we begin to attack our boss, or the company, or whoever sent the task our way. I have to admit that I have had to do some “stupid” tasks before in my life. I tried to keep the outside looking as though I had the right attitude, but my insides were screaming. I have not always been successful at having the right attitude. How is your attitude today?
The Arnold Journey 