The Value of Leisure and Labor
As this Labor Day has been approaching, I’ve been thinking about labor.
We often idealize leisure. The chance to relax and rejuvenate. The chance to dip our toes in the waves by an ocean. Even the chance for re-creation when our reserves are running dry. There are good reasons to look forward to a break from labor.
Understanding Labor as a Gift
But labor is also really special. Labor spent well gives us something to be proud of, something that boosts our self-esteem and our sense of worth.
Labor is really a great gift. What if we were injured or disabled and couldn’t work? What if we lived in a place that was so unstable that it was almost impossible to find a job? Imagine how deeply we would long for that labor.
The Risk of Work
I guess that’s why many of our program participants work so hard just to be able to labor. They are willing as adults to learn to read and write. They are willing to risk the embarrassment of starting a new business that may fail. They see the gifts that God has put in each one of them, and they want to put those gifts to work.
Thank you for partnering with us. Who would have thought that one of the greatest gifts we can give is the opportunity for someone to labor.
Until next Monday morning,
Dale Stanton-Hoyle,
Executive Director