Thoughts for
Labor Day
John Telgren
once knew a guy who worked
three jobs. He was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. In addition to this,
he worked second shift at Tandy Electronics, troubleshooting and repairing
computers and other electronic equipment, and worked at a convenience
store on the weekends. Having three jobs, he worked seven days a week and
barely had enough time to sleep. It was not uncommon for him to have had
three to four hours of sleep. I am not sure how he was able to keep up
that pace as long as he did. Something had to give. Perhaps what gave was
his family. He was divorced and had children. Yet he sold away virtually
all of his time with nothing left for his family or himself. There were
those that seemed to admire him for his "dedication." I am not sure what
his dedication was to. There were also those who were concerned about him.
It just didn't seem right for a man to work seven days a week and live off
of such a meager amount of sleep. Most Americans still view forty hours as
the norm for a workweek. In some European countries, the norm is thirty to
thirty five hours a week. Whatever the case, there has to be time for rest
and renewal.
Working hard is good. Working hard without rest is not. I am reminded of
God's instruction about the Sabbath day. God had instructed Israel to set
apart a day of rest. Six days they were to work, the seventh day was to be
a day of complete rest for all people, including even the animals (Dt
5:12-15). This was not a suggestion, but a life or death command (Ex
31:14).
Even though we are not Israelites under the law, the need for a season of
rest still remains. This is one of the things the law as our schoolmaster
can remind us of (Gal 3:24). Whether it is a day, a vacation, a retreat, a
sabbatical, or some other form of rest, we need seasons of rest and
renewal in our lives. This can help to renew us both physically and
spiritually. Without pausing to reflect and give thanks to God who gives
us the power to make wealth (Dt 8:18), provides the rain (Ps 147:8), and
life (Acts 17:25), we could forget the God from whom all blessing flow.
This is what happened to Israel when they became self absorbed and did not
use Sabbath as a time to truly reflect and be renewed spiritually (Amos
8:5). Life is more than conducting business, making a profit, or making a
paycheck. In fact, Jesus said, "For life is more than food, and the body
more than clothing" (Lk 12:23). As important as these are, they are not
the focal point of our life. What is life all about? Jesus said, "This is
eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom You have sent" (Jn 17:3). Life is knowing God.
This means that all of our work and service is to God. He created us to
work and fulfill his purposes (Gen 1:26-28; 2:15). This means that work
has inherent value, dignity, and honor. Work is good. Work without rest is
not. The pattern in scripture is not work then work, nor is it rest then
rest. The pattern in scripture is work then rest.
So, enjoy the holiday weekend. Rest, relax, and renew both physically and
spiritually.
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