Labor Day is Sept. 2.
Many Americans will enjoy an extra day off next week on Sept. 2.
Even before Labor Day became a federal holiday, approximately 27 states passed legislation recognizing it as a holiday. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on Feb. 21, 1887, according to the Department of Labor.
Labor activists continued to push to have Labor Day recognized as a federal holiday to recognize the contribution workers had made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. Congress passed legislation in 1894 recognizing the first Monday in September as Labor Day, according to the DOL website.
Work and Scripture
Though Labor Day is not a Christian holiday, the Bible has quite a bit to say about “work.”
Genesis 2:15 (HCSB) reminds us, “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.”
Proverbs 14:23 reveals, “All hard work brings a profit but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Thessalonians 3:10 makes it very clear what happens if you don’t work. “In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: ‘If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.’ ”
There are so many other verses which deal with work, both in the physical sense and in the spiritual realm as well. Just Google what the Bible says about work.
Approaching retirement
As I approach retirement, I know that I will continue to do some kind of “work” as long as the Lord gives me the physical strength to do so. A strong work ethic was instilled in me before I was even a teenager. Whether it was doing “chores” at home or working for someone else, my generation was taught that “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”
That’s why I worked for very minimal wages on a church member’s farm for several years before I could get a “real” job in a textile mill when I was 16 years old. I still remember when I made my first $100 in a week’s time. Never mind that I worked probably 60 hours that week in the hot sun in a bean field. That was the most money I had ever had at one time in my life.
While in high school and college, I worked after school to pay for a used car, insurance and save money for college. That did not make me special in the 1970s. It was normal for most everyone my age. What I learned 50-plus years ago laid the foundation for the rest of my life.
God blessed me with a great job doing what I loved to do — writing articles of how God’s people are doing incredible things to share the good news of His son, Jesus Christ. I have been in vocational journalism for 44 years. It has been much more than a job. It has been a ministry that I hope to continue as long as I can, even after I retire in December.
Work and the next generation
Sadly, that work ethic that I was taught has not been taught as widely to generations that have followed me.
Some still have it but not nearly enough.
Go into any restaurant or business and you will likely see signs begging for employees. And many who do work do not have the greatest attitude about it. That’s why there’s a dearth in customer service these days.
As Christians, we need to teach our children and grandchildren what it means to work and why we do it. And, as we do so, let’s challenge ourselves and them to also heed Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, newsjournal of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
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