And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. --Colossians 6:23,24 KJV
This weekend is a "long holiday weekend" and the traditional end-of-summer celebration. Monday is Labor Day. Labor Day is recognized and celebrated in a third of all the countries in the world. At its inception the idea was to honor those who work.
Honest work has within itself the roots of dignity, for it is by the toil of one's body and mind that food and shelter for living are obtained.
Have you ever felt your job is a drudgery in which the only rewards are the end of the shift and the paycheck? Even in such a job is dignity, for by the devotion to the task and the performance thereof, one puts food on the table for those for whom he is responsible; and should the checks be large enough to provide assistance in addition to someone less fortunate, then that laborer is blessed indeed.
Father pounded many things into my head in my youth. (Yes, I was that hard-headed.) A crucial lesson had to do with the obligation of the laborer to the employer. Dad made it quite clear that if I sold my time to an employer it was my obligation to give him full value for the recompense he would give me. To do otherwise is not honorable. I believe the scripture quoted above supports this doctrine, for to do right by the employer is to do right in God's sight.
In whatever way you choose to celebrate, or relax and chill, here's wishing you a wonderful weekend, Monday included.
6 comments:
Well stated! It's so true that "honest work has within itself the roots of dignity." I believe the good self-esteem that is talked about so much comes from the satisfaction of a job well-done - whether it is working hard to create a good home environment for family or laboring for others.
Ah, sounds of my father - what I heard when I was growing up "A day's work for a day's pay" and better yet "If the only thing you can do is sweep streets then you had better make sure you are the best damn street sweeper"
I'm with you, but it's sure not the ethic of today's younger workers.
Vee, your response is well-stated, too. Those who work to create a good and proper home environment should be recognized for their effort, even as the employee in commerce or manufacturing should be recognized.
Grace, bless those fathers who passed wisdom to their children. The honor of work is not in the job description, but in the performance of duty.
Sharkey, I am not sure how that came about, deplorable as the condition may be. Loyalty is a two-way street. In the day, one had the assurance, for the most part, that faithful service would provide not only for daily needs, but for needs over the long haul, that is, for a lifetime. The pay may not have been great, but stability was. In this day where disposable entities produce disposable goods in disposable factories and vend them in disposable venues, it is little wonder that the worker has become a mere disposable unit as well. Soon as the tax abatement expires, the empty facility will start to crumble into the weeds, the workers will be set adrift, as the corporation moves its operation to another community with the promise of jobs. And when that tax abatement expires, the process starts all over again.
Thus it becomes less difficult to understand why a worker shows little responsibility to the employer who shows little concern for the worker. Yet those things that were ingrained in the minds of those in our generation still rule our own beliefs concerning the righteousness of performance when someone is paying for the effort.
I fear the day will come when society simply disposes of itself.
So well said. And a wonderful holiday weekend to you and your beautiful other half, as well.
Shelly, thank you. We had a great day with Jo's family, all her children and several of their spouses and children and grandchildren.
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