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| Photo by Trollbackco 2014 |
Wishing all my readers a blessed Labor Day weekend, for those in the US, and a new start to the work and school year around the globe. May you enjoy this repost from the archives!
For people who have lost their job, there may be no Labor
Day celebration, but instead the heartache of going without, and having faith
stretched from one meal or rent payment to the next. For those blessed to be
employed, there may be the aggravation of unappreciative employers or
disgruntled customers, or the weariness of overwork on too little sleep.
Some may pour their whole being into their career, at the expense of family, social life, or even time for worshipping and serving God, only to feel the pain of being passed over for promotion by the rising star who captured the boss’ attention. Those who play by the rules, support the team, and pay their dues may be sorely disappointed when those in the favored clique, or those who outmaneuver their competition, advance unfairly, despite their lack of experience. Life in the working world is full of trouble and pain, and it seldom seems fair.
Thankfully, God isn’t fair either, because His grace gives believers what we don’t deserve (Ephesians 2:8-9), and His mercy keeps Him from giving us eternal punishment in hell, which our sins do deserve (Romans 6:23). No matter what our earthly situation, believers in Christ can find joy (Psalm 21:1;32:11; Isaiah 29:19; 61:10; Matthew 25:21; Romans 5:11; etc.) and peace (Philippians 4:7) in knowing that He is working all circumstances together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
We can endure the “labor pains” because He has appointed us to a specific occupation, to serve Him with the unique gifts, talents, and opportunities He has given us (1 Corinthians 12:4-6;28; Ephesians 4:11), and to glorify Him in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).. As the bumper sticker says, “Our Boss is a Jewish Carpenter” Who has empathy for our struggles (Hebrews 4:15) and supports us through trials and hardships (Philippians 4:13).
His grace is sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). He sees, honors and remembers work done for Him and will reward our labor, if not in this world, then in the next, where we can enjoy the rewards forever (1 Corinthians 3:9-14).
Best of all, He knows our sinful, wicked hearts (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9-10), but He loves us anyway (Romans 5:8). We don’t have to prove our worth, for we have none on our own merits (Isaiah 64:6; John 15:5). He is not interested in our qualifications, but in our justification by His shed blood (Romans 4:25; 5:16-18). Once we commit our lives to Him, we are guaranteed payment of the richest treasure imaginable – life in His presence throughout eternity (John 3:16), no matter for how long or short a time we have been saved (Matthew 20:1-16).
So why is this life often full of pangs of disappointment, physical disability and sickness, and even Godly sorrow? (2 Corinthians 7:10) I believe it is because we long for His return and the blessed hope (Titus 2:13), meaning eager anticipation, of the Rapture, when He will wipe every tear from our eye (Revelation 21:4). Then we shall enjoy eternity with Him in glorified bodies that will never experience pain, sickness or aging (1 Corinthians 15:40-50).
In the meantime, His whole creation is going through labor pains (Romans 8:21-22), anxiously awaiting the day when all will be made new by His refining fire (2 Peter 3:10-12). We groan in our aging bodies (Romans 8:23), yet the quickening pace and intensity of these pangs brings us inevitably closer to that day when we can truly experience being a completely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15).
Once we place our faith in His death, burial and resurrection as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6), we are born again (John 3:3-8). But on that day when all His children shall be changed and meet Him in the air, we shall live forever and be as He is (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). In the meantime, anticipation of this blessed event, and knowing that our labor for Him is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:51-58) helps us endure and even embrace these Labor Day pains!
© 2013 Laurie Collett
4 comments:
Dear Laurie,
As a UK citizen, I have never properly understood what exactly is Labor Day, apparently quite prominent on the American calendar.
However, back in 1980 I was out of a job due to redundancy, and I went through very tough and challenging times.
One morning the energy bill dropped through the door. Remembering King Hezekiah laying the letter from the Assyrian King before God's altar (2 Kings 19:14-19), I too laid the statement in front of me and prayed that somehow I would have the money to pay it off.
The next day an envelope dropped through the door containing just enough to clear the bill. After that, I eventually went self-employed, running a business for 35 years, leading to retirement.
Thank you for your thought-provoking post. God bless.
Dear Frank,
Thank you for sharing your testimony to God's faithfulness. It is amazing how God provides exactly what we need, exactly when we need it! Having worked for various organizations, I too eventually came to the conclusion that being self-employed was the most fulfilling option.
Challenging times are particularly so as we go through them, but afterwards we can see how God used these to strengthen our faith and reliance on Him.
Thanks again for your comment and God bless,
Laurie
As a day set aside especially to reckognize the importance of the people who do the common everyday jobs that make the world function, it frequently becomes a reminder how unfair the world is. Those who contribute the least seem to be the best paid and most admired. Many of the celebrities and political figures forget that it the very people Hilary Clinton referred to as deplorables are the people they depend on to grow their food, make their clothing, build their homes, produce the fuel for their vehicles, and build the electronics to enable to become famous. Fortunately, as you mentioned, God will reverse that unfairness, rewarding those who simply obey him despite their lack of worthiness. We are worth a great deal to God, even though the rich and famous may consider us of little importance.
Great points, Donald! Praise the Lord that He notices and rewards our labor, even when the world fails to appreciate or even recognize it. It is far better to have His eternal rewards than the meager, transitory rewards of money and prestige doled out by the world. Thanks as always for your comment and God bless,
Laurie
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