It's Labor Day, the day we celebrate ... labor. Well, in principle. The truth is we aren't particularly fond of labor in many cases. I know a lot of people -- especially men -- who really don't like to have to work. And for reasons I don't quite understand, we don't celebrate "Leisure Day." Go figure.
Americans, they tell me, work an average of 34.4 hours per week. On the other hand, the U.S. leads in the least number of annual vacations. And we lead with the highest Gross Domestic Product. We may have slacked off a bit, but we're still a nation of hard-working people.
So there is this odd collision of facts. We don't like work ... but we work hard. Why? Theories, I'm sure, abound, but I think it's simply design. When God made Adam, His first act was to assign him ... work (Gen 2:15, 19). Now, one of the consequences of sin was that work became "hard labor" (Gen 3:17), but work is still beneficial. It gives us a sense of purpose, a sense of fulfillment, a sense of accomplishment. It's not all bad. For the Puritans, it was more. They understood hard work to be morally valuable. They even had the concept of "vocation." Notice the prefix to that word. They understood their jobs to be their "calling." They believed they were called to work (Eph 2:10) and that their work was designed to bless others. Whether one was a minister or a shoemaker, work was a ministry to those around.
"Work, work, work" was Governor Lepetoman's (Blazing Saddles) joke, but it was intended as a blessing from God as a means for us to bless others. A younger generation appears to see it as a curse, but God intended it for good. As such, labor ought to be celebrated. To the extent that we agree with God, perhaps we will celebrate workers while we enjoy our leisure today.
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