Good morning. Do you remember those moments when as a child your parents interrupted your play to demand that you do something constructive? How unfair! How unreasonable! We were enjoying ourselves and then out of nowhere some bossy parent was insisting that we quit what we were doing, no matter how much fun we may have been having and take care of some task. Outrageous!
It may have been true that the task in question was something we had been told to take care of several times previously, but we put it off because we had better things to do. Things like launching a toad into space, or playing with toys in the sand, or riding our bikes, or finding enough kids to play kick the can. Pretty much anything would have been more important, and therefore a more reasonable use of our time, than cleaning our room or whatever nasty chore our mom was going on about.
We had no idea about labor in those days. Having fun was the goal of the day and any interruption was unreasonable. But we learned about labor, didn’t we.
We went to school and work was demanded of us. We graduated from school and more work was demanded of us. We got married and had children, and my oh my, more work was demanded of us. Sometimes it can feel as though life is defined by work, and it is the work that we have come to value, and to curse, and to celebrate, and regret.
Never forget what Jesus has to say to us about our labors: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Whatever our labors we need to give them to our Lord. He wants to shoulder our burdens and to ease our path through each day. Let Jesus change your heart, and therefore your attitude, and therefore your hope and your joy.
Vern