Celebrating Labor Day

Have you ever taken much time to think about why we have a holiday called Labor Day? To be honest, I typically focus solely on what I’m going to do with the Monday that we get off every year, and don’t give hardly any thought to what the actual holiday is supposed to represent for us. For me, it usually represents the end of summer, and a final day off before plunging back into our normal busy routines and structure that the fall season typically brings. I spent some time researching the history behind Labor Day, and found that the whole intent of this holiday is to look back and pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers over the years. While it is certainly a day that we get to rest from our normal work, its true purpose is to commemorate and celebrate the foundation laid and advancements made during periods like the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution our ancestors devoted basically their entire lives to working in
places like railroads, mills, and factories, in order to advance and expand our
nation’s wealth and significance to the rest of the world. Labor Day is actually meant to be a day with so much deeper meaning that I’ve allowed it to be. Instead of simply an extra day at the beach, on the lake, or by a pool, it’s meant to be a day of remembrance and thankfulness for work that has already been accomplished. I can’t think of any labor that is more worthy of celebration and reflection than the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. Christ died a death that we deserve, shouldering the burden of our sin Himself. Because of His sacrifice, we no longer bear the burden of laboring to achieve the righteousness that God requires, but are not capable of earning ourselves. We are now free from this labor to instead rest in the finished work of the cross, and the salvation we have through Jesus’ atoning work. This year, take some time to really reflect on this. Enjoy time with family and friends, resting from your normal schedule and work; but also enjoy the freedom
that we have knowing that the work of salvation has already been completed for us.