Labor Day, War Room & Making More Money

In an attempt to “try to be cool,” I thought it would be a great idea to have a “Labor Day Lock-in” last night for the Hickory Knoll church youth group (I’m currently reliving my youth minister days as I’m “holding down the fort” until a new youth minister arrives- whoever you are, please get here soon!).

Lock-ins always seem to go smoother (and quicker) when there’s some type of evening activity to break up the monotony of being in a church building all night. I had heard about a Christian movie just released called War Room. I didn’t know anything about it except that it would be youth group friendly and that it would take up two hours of lock-in time!

I won’t share all the details or ruin the ending (I highly recommend the movie- go see it!), but the movie is basically about a marriage trying to get back on track.

There’s one line that has been resonating with me. It’s a thought that has helped me. It’s a thought that will hopefully help you as well. It’s a thought that’s relevant for this Labor Day holiday.

While reflecting on her crumbling marriage and her husband’s big time salary, the wife says, “I’d rather have a good marriage than more money.”

Let that “lock-in” for a few moments.

Labor Day is a time that we take a break from all our hard work. It’s a day to rest and reflect on how thankful we are for our jobs. Although we definitely need to work and provide for our families, there is a possibility that we are more focused on making more money than we are providing for our families.

Making more money is not a bad thing. That’s what all the financial experts say to do, especially when you’re trying to get out of debt and one day retire. I’m by no means thinking about the people doing the best they can to make ends meet, to put the food on the table, and to pay the bills.

I’m thinking about the people who work so much that they don’t have time for their families. Not because they’re trying to provide for them, rather because they don’t want to be around them. It’s as if they’d rather to have more money than a good marriage.

The Bible says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10).

The Bible also says, “Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:33).  

When a husband and a wife love and respect each other, they will have a good marriage- regardless of what kind of jobs they have and regardless of how much or little money they make.

So, enjoy your day off. You’ve worked hard. You deserve it.

More importantly, though, enjoy your spouse. And enjoy your family. They deserve it.

Let’s not be so “locked-in” to making more money that we lose our marriage and children along the way!

My life purpose is to connect people to Jesus and His church by providing a Christian example and by reaching out on spiritual, relational, academic, and community levels.

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