09-07-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
September 7, 2021
Scripture: Proverbs 18:9
One who is slack in work is close kin to a vandal.

Thought for the Day: Yesterday, on Labor Day, I was thinking a lot about those whose labor is extraordinarily hard, but whose work is not valued. Throughout my ministry, I have known folks who worked long hours, taking a second or third job, yet having a hard time making ends meet. I knew a guy whose wife, at a pretty young age, was in a nursing home. He wanted her to have the best (which wasn’t great with the money he made), so he slept only four hours a night, working seven days every single week, leaving just enough time to visit her for one hour early in the morning and one hour in the evening. I’ve watched parents struggle making ends meet on minimum wage, both working more than forty hours/week, and trying to find time to attend school functions. I think about farmers who rarely take a vacation, trying their best to carry on a family tradition. I have walked alongside those who pick tomatoes and other crops, a job I couldn’t do for even a couple of hours. And of course, there were the waste collectors who came by my house yesterday on Labor Day. As you can imagine, the list is long. Too often we assume if someone is struggling to make ends meet, they must be lazy or as the scripture says, “slack”ing. Today, I am thankful for all those who do amazing and necessary jobs that are not valued like they should be in our culture. May no one ever be considered “close kin to a vandal” as we rarely know someone’s full story.

Prayer: Holy God, help me to value the work that people do, even if the culture around me does not perceive it as important or distinguished. Amen.

---

---

via WordPress https://ift.tt/3h4EJnh