Labor Day Thoughts

Ec 5:18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart. It’s Labor Day in America. It’s a day that marks the unofficial end to summer. Vacations have been spent at cabins, national parks, water parks, or in RV’s travelling across this great land and taking in all the beautiful sights! Kids of all ages are heading back to school, and most of us will labor away again until the unofficial beginning of summer on Memorial Day. I like what Labor Day has become. One more shot at relaxation, and then let’s get back at it! But the history of Labor Day is something we Americans should not forget! The fair wages and benefits we receive for our labor today did not come cheap. In a sense, our Labor Day commemoration is a second Memorial Day. Our first Memorial Day that we celebrate in May is to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, that our country could remain free, and this “second” Memorial Day is to remember those workers who put so much on the line that we may enjoy “the good of all our labor” today. Here’s a brief history of our Labor Day holiday: The holiday evolved out of decades of tensions between workers and unions, and state security forces and employers on the other. Let that sink in for a while. Decades of tension in the streets, much like we have experienced recently in our nation, only more violent. In the last two decades of the 1800’s 37,000 strikes were carried out and between 1870 and 1914 up to 800 American workers were killed during strikes! The tensions culminated in the Pullman strike in Chicago, where workers went on strike after their wages were cut by 30%, but the rents and prices at company-owned accommodations and stores remained the same. (How fair is that?) The strike came to a bloody head when the government sent in the military to enforce a court injunction against the strike. Ensuing riots resulted in 30 deaths and 80 million dollars worth of property damages! Just six days after the strike, President Cleveland signed the bill that made Labor Day a national holiday in an apparent bid to appease workers. 37,000 strikes. Over 800 dead, it was not a pretty time in America!…….Happy Labor Day! As you pray over your meal at your cookout at the beach today, pause and give thanks and remember those who made it possible for you to enjoy the fair wage and benefits you receive for your labor today. I know this is asking a lot, but maybe you could take out your smart phone and google this passage from Ecclesiastes and read it before you eat! “It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.” Rejoice that you may be able to usher out summer with family and friends, but rejoice even more in your labor, and the fruits thereof, for it is a gift from God