I know this sounds weird, but the first thing that pops into my head when I think of “Labor” is the birth of our first-born son. My wife was 9 months along but it seemed like 15 months! I heard some noises from the living room. Upon arrival, Linda was rolling on the couch making noises that sounded painful. I said, “Should I get ready to take you to the hospital?” “No,” she said. She insisted we had plenty of time since the pains didn’t come often. Well, with that kind of time I went out to mow the yard. When I got back, the pains were more often. I asked her if I had time to take a quick shower. “I’m sure you will.” Well, you know the rest. When I returned after the shower, the pains were just minutes apart! I tried to get her to the car, but every time the pain subsided, she kept saying, “Just let me rest a little. Then the next pain came! I wasn’t sure how I was going to get her to the car. We somehow did and our baby boy was born, but during the trip, she broke off the door handles in the car! (Not really, but she could have.)
Labor Day has been set aside to honor all American laborers and their contributions to our nation. Most of us may not consider the purpose, other than a three-day weekend and the proverbial cookout. Some of our families may have Labor Day traditions, like meeting at Uncle Frank’s house, a softball game, hiking, etc. It does provide us a needed pause, take a breather, and reset.
In the Old Testament, God gave man a pause, a Labor Day. Just as God took a rest from his creation job on the Sabbath, he told us that we need to do the same. When I was growing up in the Midwest, Sunday was that special day. Most businesses were closed, except waitresses and cooks who worked on Sunday to feed the after church crowd. We have bypassed Sunday and have it made like any other day. Now, nearly everything is open. Perhaps we would be better off if we reinstated Sunday, (or Saturday depending on your church), to take a pause.
And God rested from his labors, and it was good.
PS My wife pre-approved this post. 😄
