Today, without too much preamble, I would like to share with you a song that I fell in love with a number of years ago written by the thoughtful musician, Wendell Kimbrough.
Below, there is a link to a recording of “Your Labor is Not in Vain,” made for the Porter’s Gate Worship Project called Work Songs. The Work Songs album is packed with good music about God’s labor and the labor of the Christian worker. I’ve long been enamored with the project and have written before about other songs from the album so this may ring a bell if you’ve read my posts.
At my house, the school year has just barely begun and yet we find ourselves in the middle of a four-day weekend and looking forward to Labor Day. The upcoming holiday is only part of the reason that I have been thinking about this song, as the general theme of work has been heavy on my mind these days.
A pastor friend on Facebook recently took an informal poll there of her own many pastor friends. She is worried that pastors are not doing well, that the life and work of pastors is overwhelming them. “Are you OK?” she asked, “Yes, or no?” A heartbreaking amount of pastors replied, in one word, or in many, “No.” Being a pastor is hard work every day, and many referenced the extra strain, exhaustion, and anxiety caused by a long, drawn-out pandemic.
I’ve also been thinking about the many people I know who are hardwired for work, and do just that all day long, but may not be gainfully employed outside their home. Mothers are an example of some of the busiest people I know, whether or not they also have a paid vocation. Feeling stuck in an endless cycle of difficult and exhausting tasks is normal for moms, dads, and laborers of every kind.
In so many ways today, so many people with jobs, and without, are feeling burned out. The on-going global pandemic and its effects has trained us all to be ever-poised to pivot. Plans are constantly changing. New and different decisions must always be made. All of it is endlessly tiring.
While I could illustrate my point further, my guess is that if you, yourself, are not feeling tired out by your working and existing, someone else you know who is will come to mind. I won’t take more of your time because I want you to listen to Wendell Kimbrough’s song.
Let the lyrics, and most especially the refrain of this song, be a kind of blessing for you, a prayer over your life. I hope that whoever you are, and whatever your work, you might feel that your work is acknowledged, and most importantly, that you would know that God is in it with you making it all worthwhile.
Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash
Thankyou; thank you from a host of people whose answer was and may still be, “No, I’m not OK.” Thankyou.
Most excellent. Thank you.
The song and message were excellent. Thank you.