Reflections on Worker's Day

Most of us have a 'love-hate' relationship with our work and places of employment. Many people that I speak to, long to be doing something else and they find themselves trapped in a work situation because it 'pays the bills.' There are a small percentage of people who earn a living doing what they simply love, and you can usually tell who these people are.

As we celebrate National Workers Day on the 1st of May, I invite us to remember a few things and then to offer a simple prayer:

1. God also worked. "On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 2:2-4 

2. Work doesn't need to be a punishment. We can glorify God and serve God's purposes through our places of work.

3. There are millions of people who would love to work but can't find a job. Think about what this does to their self-esteem and dignity.

4. Give thanks for the ability to carry out your work. For healthy bodies and minds. 

5. Not all workers are treated well. Many are abused and paid poorly. Ask yourself: "How can I set a different example?" If you employ people, ask how you can treat them with greater dignity and respect. 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of being able to work. Sometimes we struggle to see the blessing in what we do, but we ask you to give us insight into each situation. Help us to serve you and others in our places of employment and also in our homes. We pray for those who are desperately seeking work - may they would not lose heart. May we also learn to see each of our colleagues as you would see them and to love them appropriately. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Doing the work

On the 1st of May many countries around the world pause and celebrate Workers Day (also known as Labour Day or May Day). It is a call to remember the rights of all workers and to draw attention to issues of social justice and plight of millions of people. Each country has its own unique story in this regard and South Africa is no exception. 

The Bible speaks about 'work' in many of the various books, with 56 of the 66 books mentioning work in some form or another. From this we can conclude that work is an integral part of being a human being. Of course, not every person enjoys their work, and many people dream of doing something else, but work is part of who we are. 

Today I want to take a look at a different perspective on work, where the scriptures invite us to put our time and energy into working for peace and love. 

Hebrews 12:14 - Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life...

2 Timothy 4:5 - Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

May the Spirit of Christ work in our hearts so that we may glorify him:

2 Corinthians 12:9 - Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Greatest worker of all time

Companies have competitions to see who is the 'Employee of the month', but in the end we need to pause to honour the greatest worker of all time. God has never been afraid of work, and although we struggle to figure out how/why God allows things to happen, we can't shy away from the fact that God GETS involved in our lives.

"When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place." - Psalm 8:3

"They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works." - Psalm 77:12

"O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts." - Psalm 92:5

Over this weekend, we commemorate the 'workers' of our world. We give thanks for the ability to work and earn a living, as well as all the people who work quietly behind the scenes.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Reliable workers

There is an old adage that states "Good help is hard to find!"

And I believe there is so much truth in this statement, which most of us can relate to. This is why we end up often doing the job ourselves, because we know that it will get done properly.

For me, this statement permeates all of society, but applies mostly to work - when we find someone who is a good worker, we should hold onto them for as long as possible and encourage them to 'better' themselves. Having a great team player and someone who you can trust is such an important thing in the work environment.

Perhaps this is why Jesus spoke about giving greater responsibility to those people who have proved faithful in the smaller tasks first.

Matthew 24:45-47 - “Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won’t be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation. (Message)

On this weekend of 'Worker's Day' may we learn to appreciate the art of 'good work', as well the blessing of trustworthy employees and colleagues.

"Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work." -Paul Simon

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A prayer for the Unemployed

We celebrate "Worker's Day" tomorrow the 1st May and it is good to be able to recognise the contributions of millions of workers around the country. However, I would like to offer up a prayer for those millions of people who are unemployed.

We should never be quick to judge the unemployed, assuming that they are 'lazy', 'disinterested', 'unmotivated' or a 'drain' on our resources. Many unemployed people would love to find some form of work and to have that sense of self-worth every evening when they finish their jobs. Many people are desperate to find ANY job, in a hope of putting food on the table. Of course, there will be a number of people who fit our stereotype of the unemployed, but these are in the minority.

Here is my prayer for those who are struggling with no work at the moment:

"Lord, we know that work can be a blessing in so many ways.
It enables us to feed our families, cloth our children and provide shelter from the elements.
Work even gives us a sense of self-worth and dignity - we feel good when our sweat signals a job well done or a task complete.
In a spiritual sense, we feel closer to You when we can offer our talents for your glory.

But, when we are robbed of this JOY something dies inside us.
We are left wondering where our next meal will come from.
We are frustrated and left helpless when our kids ask for something we can't provide.
We are left feeling dejected when another person turns us away.

Lord, we are not lazy, or unmotivated - we long to work and use our strength for a worthy cause.
We long to come home with the clinking of coins in our pocket,
or to be able to say "Yes" when the kids ask for a simple treat.
We don't want to survive on handouts from others or to be looked down upon when we ask for help.

Our pride has taken a knock and we have lost a lot of our self-confidence.
We sometimes even feel worthless, although we know you don't think we are worthless.
It is just the feeling we get, when people say they have NO work for us.

Lord, in your mercy, please come to our rescue. You have promised to be our provider and we still believe in that, but our patience has run very thin. We are left in that awkward space of trying to believe in your Word, but experiencing something contrary to that promise.
You have asked us to pray to you, believing that you will give to us our 'Daily Bread',
but even that isn't coming anymore.

Lord, we can't hold out any more - please come quickly. We don't want to led down the path of temptation, but when our family cries with hunger pangs, we get desperate.
Lord, provide us a miracle today.
Please Lord.
Please.
Amen."

Matthew 20:3-5 (Message) - “Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.


Living in Grace
D3LM3