I’ve always considered Labor Day to be a long weekend that marks the end of summer. Or to put it another way, fun and rest. Labor Day is that special time of year when you stay up late to see when Jerry Lewis loosens his bow tie and sings, “The Impossible Dream”. Actually, Labor Day has a history that you can read about; but not in this blog. I want you to read about my labor history. I have had a wide variety of jobs over the years. My first job was in an orange juice factory. I got canned. I couldn’t concentrate. Okay, not really. But here’s a list of some of the jobs I really have had over the years:
Grocery Store – loading groceries in cars in the sweltering heat and bitter cold of Oklahoma weather.
Gas-N-Go – A self serve gas station chain in Oklahoma. For some customers, the name was synonymous with what they did; they gassed and went, without paying.
Capitol Hill State Bank – janitor. I never found money in the trash, but always looked.
Westinghouse Elec. Corp – worked on the line in a factory. I did the same thing over and over about 650 times a day. I became an expert at Password and Trivial Pursuit.
Rich’s Products – this company mass produced breads and cookies and then quickly froze them for shipping. My first assignment was dumping flour - 80 pound sacks of flour hoisted in a sifter, for 8 hours a day. Pam especially liked the way I smelled when we ran onion rolls. I gained 35 pounds on this job.
Viking Freight System – I worked on the docks for a year and finally got my license to drive a big rig. This is the era in my life that I briefly began to listen to country music.
While in Bible College: I mowed lawns, painted houses, worked with a small appliance repair business (which meant I crawled under houses). I worked at UPS and was a janitor at an Elementary school. I cleaned all the bathrooms for the 1st through 3rd grades. Just imagine.

I was thinking that every one of these jobs, even the ones I hated, represents God’s faithful provision in my life. Especially the jobs I had in Bible College. I wouldn’t want to go back to some of those jobs, but I am thankful that God provided for me.
I don’t know how you celebrate Labor Day weekend but take a few minutes to thank God for his faithful provision in your life. God is always a generous provider.
Finally, let’s think about the words of Jesus this Labor Day. Jesus said, “Do not work (labor) for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27).
If all I labor for is food that spoils, I get tired. But if I labor for things that last forever, I get energy!
Happy Labor Day weekend! Oh yeah...Jerry loosens his bow tie at 3:15 a.m. What do you say?

Pastor Tim

# posted by Pastor Tim @ 10:50 AM