Choir Notes

The Blessing of Work

From Music and the Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4329

More than 1,600 years ago, St. Augustine is said to have taught this timeless truth: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

Indeed, our willingness to work can make a big difference in life. A leader who worked for several years in a service organization with hundreds of young men and women observed that the defining quality of the best young leaders was their ability to work. Those who knew how to work were happier, more confident, and better able to adapt to new situations. They were problem solvers. And most often, those young people went on to have successful lives. From early on, work spelled the difference.

And so we celebrate work. In the late 1800s, the United States Congress designated the first Monday in September as Labor Day—a day to commend work and those who do it. It’s a day set aside to rest from labor, even as we remember all those who labor to build this nation: in the farms and factories, the offices and warehouses, the stores and schools—anyplace where honorable, honest labor is performed. Those who work fuel the progress of nations and the betterment of our communities. 
 Truly, workers deserve a pat on the back and a heartfelt reminder of their importance in our society.

Work is good for the soul. It builds muscle and character, it strengthens hand and heart, and nothing gets done or moves forward without it. And though work is different today than a hundred years ago, it’s still essential to life and happiness. Good work satisfies the soul and makes the world go round.

And so, on this day when we praise work and workers, may we roll up our sleeves and celebrate the blessing of work.