It seems somewhat ironic that the United States
celebrates Labor Day as a holiday, a day off from our labor. However, we cannot
hold up the importance of our work and the need for just labor laws without
also considering the importance of our time for rest.
Why is rest so important? It is not just so we can
function more effectively at our jobs. No, when we work all the time, we tend
to lose our perspective, believing that our lives are in our own hands and
forgetting that everything is a gift from God. As it says in Exodus 31: 12-14, God said
to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This
will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know
that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy
to you.’”
Why do we rest? So that we may know that God is God,
and we are not. To cultivate the humility that keeps us from the pitfalls of
pride. To have the time to reflect on the needs of others who don’t have jobs
that pay a living wage or whose health is endangered by the work they do.
May we all enjoy a balance of work and rest, of prayer
and play, of enjoying the goodness of the Lord and acting on behalf of those on
the margins of the good life.
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