Leisure and Labor -- Two Gifts from God
Albert Mohler
Posted: Monday, September 04, 2006

Christians understand labor as a duty, but miss the fact that it is a gift. In the first place, God has made us able to work -- to manipulate things, to cultivate the ground, to manage herds, and to invent microprocessors. Secondly, He has allowed us through labor to understand at least part of our purpose in life -- to fulfill a vocation. Furthermore, we can often see the result of our labors. The farmer takes pride in his orderly rows of crops; the carpenter sees the beauty of his cabinet; the doctor is fulfilled in his recovering patient; the mother sleeps content after a day of unceasing work with children. Still, many people have difficulty seeing labor as the gift that it is.

Most of us have an even harder time with leisure. Some of us make work of leisure time, even as we are supposed to be served by a myriad of appliances and technologies that "save" us time. But leisure is one of God's gifts too. Leisure is not laziness or sloth, but a gift to those who labor. As Joseph Pieper argued years ago, leisure is the very foundation of civilization, for leisure allows attention to art, music, play, and the development and enjoyment of culture. the rest