What are you doing this year to celebrate Labor Day?

Labor Day, for most of us, means two things: A day off and the end of summer.  But when we consider its history, we see it's actually a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women; a celebrated national holiday in the US and Canada since 1894. When my children were younger, it seemed that teaching them good work habits was my biggest challenge (and still often is!).  The simple request of unloading the dishwasher or walking the dog would catapult them into a series of excuses explaining why they shouldn't  have to help and that I was exploiting their personal time.

So what did I do?  I went to the Bible - the ultimate 'how to' book - and pieced together 3 phrases from the books of Proverbs and Colossians and came up with this: "In all the work you are doing, work the best you can.  Work as if you're working for the Lord and not for people."  We wrote this "verse" on note cards...all of us...and committed it to memory.  From that point until present day it provides me with a well-timed counter to their belly-aching (and it keeps my motives on track as well).

What's your attitude about work on this Labor Day?  Whether you clean toilets for a living, argue on behalf of a well-paying client, educate this generation's youth or labor in a factory, what perspective guards your mind from potential discontentment?  Why not commit this "verse" to memory and join my children in stabilizing your wayward thoughts?  You'll be glad for the distraction and you'll find a reason to actually celebrate Labor Day...because the work you're doing is for the Lord...not for people.