Labor Day

Labor reminds me of a woman giving birth to a child (L&D).

Labor reminds me of the AFL-CIO and the UTU (a RR union).

Labor reminds me of sweat and exhaustion.

Labor reminds me of what is necessary to achieve a goal.

Labor reminds me of a key ingredient in business.

Labor reminds me of a reason my property taxes are high in Gretna. Because Gretna has zero unemployment (or nearly so) there is no labor force to hire for a box store, distribution hub or manufacturing entity to come and pick up some of the tax load.  (When a large entity pays a chunk of my taxes, the entity recovers their expense by adding it to the price of their product which is ultimately picked up by a consumer elsewhere – maybe in CA.)

Labor reminds me of the Day 6 of Creation – God made all the animal types in pairs (Whew – what a job!), then He made the man Adam (and all He had to work with was soil!), He created a garden in Eden (let’s see, where to put the Mums and the Roses and the Chestnut tree?), then He conducted a business session laying down the expectations, rights and rules of garden life for the man, next God was the grand marshal of a parade of all the animals letting Adam sit in the review stand alongside with the privilege and authority to name each parade entry and God had to take notes (surely a full day – NO), then God practiced medicine extracting a rib from him and transforming it into her – a woman (reminded of Ben Carson separating twins in a very long, difficult surgery), then God coordinated a wedding (and all brides and mothers know how much labor goes into one of these), and lastly God considered all and pondered on each then issued His verdict – “Very Good.”

I’m reminded that our labors to fix the brokenness of our soul are futile before God for they are all flawed (they all have impurities, fractures, and inconsistencies).  All our labor, our best and hardest efforts, falls short.  Isaiah 58:3, “Why have we fasted,” they say, “and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?”

And Labor reminds me of Jesus and His work while under the Spirit’s anointing from the baptism until Calvary.  Remember Him sleeping the boat being tossed so violently that seasoned fishermen were frightened – that is exhaustion! (Read Mark 1!)

And this Jesus labored to fulfill all the Old Testament, to reveal the Father, to show how to live under the Law’s demands without sin, to prepare the foundation for the church (train the 12) and to show Himself to be a Lamb without spot or blemish all without a place to lay His head (no home for escape), Matthew 8:20.  And the cross: Isaiah 53:11, He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

Thank you, Jesus!  Thank you, Jesus, for your labor for me!

Enjoy your Labor Day.