How ‘Bout Labor Day Every Day?

Here in the U.S. we celebrate Labor Day today. It’s a day off in honor of all of the workers in our country. After all, we work hard in this country, don’t we?

The answer is an obvious yes. In fact, I will take it a step further and say that we work too hard. I find it sad that, in many ways, work and career have become more important than family and leisure. The devastating effects this has had on the family and quality of life are obvious as we see families and lives crumble every day. So I ask this question…do we really have to work so hard?

I am not implying that work is not important. The Bible is full of verses about the importance of doing work. In I Thessalonians it stresses the importance of work in order to avoid being a burden to others. You can’t eat if you don’t make money working, right? Proverbs is full of warnings to avoid being idle and lazy, and how the hard-working man prospers.

Work is necessary. In fact, I admire those that continue to work, even though they are past the age where they can retire. However, I believe we must avoid working too hard. This is the cause of much of the stress related problems we see in our society today.

I believe the solution is a simple one. It is to work more effectively than to simply work harder. It is not at all difficult to accomplish. The best way to accomplish this is to pray for God’s guidance, set goals for each day, focus on those goals, and do all you can do within your control to accomplish them.

The key is to leave it in God’s hands. I was reminded of this verse in church recently…Matthew 11:28 says…”come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. I take this as an invitation to leave the accomplishment of the task in His hands. If you have faith, He will help you get it done. Your job is to simply seek His guidance and take the steps you can take at that time to get it done. Don’t go ahead of this divine guidance, and don’t worry about things you can’t control at that moment. Simply do all you can in the present moment in a focused, confident manner, and He will take care of the rest.

I cherish Labor Day each year. It is an extra day to relax at a time of year where an extra day of relaxation is usually needed. I also like the fact that my working efforts are being honored. I realize that we can make every day Labor Day. We can do our work for the day, but take time to relax as an honor of our focused efforts. Does that sound like something you can work on?