Monday, September 7, 2026

Today is Labor Day which is an American federal holiday celebrated the first Monday in September to honor the contributions and achievements of U.S. workers. To me, it honors many workers by putting them back to work in stores with Labor Day sales. That’s not the way it began. It began on September 5, 1882, in New York City, when 10,000 workers marched in a Central Park Labor Union parade for safer working conditions, weekends, and a 40-hour workweek. Today the long weekend serves as the unofficial end of summer.

But what does Jesus say about this? In Matthew 11:28-30 He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” To take His yoke on us sounds like more labor, but that’s not what we’ll find with Him. He’s inviting us to come to Him with whatever burden we bear. This is what we’re to learn from Him. Our manual labor may be strenuous, but our souls can rest in His peace.

On this Labor Day I realize that like some of you, I’m retired. But that does not mean that there are no burdens to bear. There are many burdens in life, but as Christians we can realize that we don’t have to carry them alone. Jesus Christ will join us and help us carry them as our souls receive His peace and presence in the midst of whatever is happening in our life.