Shade Tree Wisdom 9/5/11 Labor Day

          The new month brings a nice breeze for the morning walk, but since it is Labor Day there is no school, so no rumbling of the big yellow boxes. Therefore, it was really quiet, and a temptation to walk a bit farther to enjoy the fine day. So I did.

          Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894 when Congress passed a bill to establish the first Monday in September as a national holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. Recent research supports the report that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, founded it.

          History often records the struggle of labor for better working conditions and more ‘say’ in the work force. Such unrest ended in harsh struggle in the auto, the coal, and the iron industries especially. Even today there are often pockets of discord, though much is settled by quiet discussion rather than violence.

          But we do live in a world torn apart by the struggle for wealth and power and dominion over others. It is a world that has fallen deeply into the clutches of the enemy, the father of lies, the fallen “prince of this world”. (John 16,11.)

          In our own daily lives, we also struggle for ‘control’ so we can work our jobs and satisfy our daily needs and wants. We are tempted to place our trust there. It is good to remember the God who satisfies our wants and cares for our needs, and to pray to Him first.

          As sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, we have nothing to fear. The Lord Jesus Christ sits at the Fathers right hand and governs all things for our sake,

          Our Psalm reads, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid.” Psalm 27,1.

GPD 9/5/11