With the official end of summer upon us, many people have headed to the beach for their last summer hurrah. It is good to be prepared when you go to the beach, so, in addition to sunscreen, hat, beach chairs, extra fluffy towels, cooler filled with beverages and snacks, and reading material, one more piece of important beach-gear is needed. A beach umbrella.

 Over the years we have learned a great deal about beach umbrellas. They need four things to do and be what they are intended for – keep you shaded from the hot sun and protected from the ultraviolet rays. First, the umbrella itself should be at least 6-1/2 feet in diameter to give you adequate space underneath it. Second, it needs a roof vent for stability; to keep the umbrella from turning inside out in gusty conditions. Third, the pole should be at least 1-1/4 inches in diameter and be made of sturdy aluminum. This will help it not to bend in those gusty winds.

And lastly, maybe most importantly, you need a solid anchor that screws into the sand to keep your umbrella securely fastened in the ground. Having an umbrella that is properly anchored into the sand allows it to do what it is intended to do. No matter how big or how pretty your umbrella is, it is of little value if you are constantly chasing it down the beach.  

If you have those four things, your umbrella will keep you protected. It is strong. It is beach-worthy.  

Not having a beach umbrella at all might be fine on certain days, but when the sun is its hottest or your skin begins to turn lobster red, even the smallest of umbrellas would have been a good idea. Even an umbrella not meeting my four beach-worthy criteria is better than no umbrella at all. Any is better than none.    

I see faith having a correlation to beach umbrellas. Not having faith in Jesus might be fine when everything is perfect, but when the heat is on or life beats down on you, let me speak to you from experience, faith is needed. Any faith at all. Faith properly anchored. Faith that isn’t constantly blowing down the beach.  

Having a strong faith does not necessarily mean big faith. It sometimes only requires faith as small as a mustard seed, then allowing those small things God has planted in our lives to become significant works of the Spirit. In Matthew 17, when the disciples could not cast out a demon, they asked Jesus why they could not do so. Click here to read the interaction between Jesus and his disciples. While most modern translations do use “little faith” to describe the faith of the disciples in this context, what Jesus was rebuking them for was at that moment their faith had been tested and it came up short. In other words – unbelief.

And having this strong faith, anchored in Jesus, a spiritual fullness in Jesus, is just what we read in Colossians 2:6-7 – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” 

Is your faith beach-worthy or will it blow away at the first hint of breeze? Does your faith protect you from the harmful elements or does it just look pretty? Even small faith, as small as a mustard seed, will be of great value.

Note from Dave: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to read my writings. I will be taking a few weeks off from writing as a way to rest, relax, refresh, and recharge. In the meantime, if you are so inclined, you can check out my Archives page to find all my past writings.

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As we celebrate the Labor Day holiday, do you know its history and purpose? According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is the creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”  

There is debate as to whether Peter McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) or Matthew Maguire, who was secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York, first proposed this holiday to celebrate the labor force. Again, according to U.S. DOL, the form of the celebration was to be a street parade followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of workers and their families. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a state holiday and in 1894 President Grover Cleveland made it a national holiday.

Here is a little-known bit of information – In 1909, the AFL designated the Sunday preceding Labor Day to be Labor Sunday, a day “dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.” It was meant to be a day for churches to pray for workers and to raise congregations’ awareness of issues of injustice surrounding workers’ rights and wages.

Now that you know the history and meaning of Labor Day, let me shift gears and focus on a verse found in John Chapter 6 – “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (v.27).

First, let me say what this verse does not mean. It is not saying that you are not to work hard to earn a living for you and our family. This is not a verse advocating laziness or sloth. In fact, in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 the apostle Paul says this, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

Then what exactly is the verse telling us? What it does say is that you are not to focus upon your ability to work for anything more than meeting your “earthly” needs, because your job (or your ability to earn a living) can be gone in the blink of an eye; it can “spoil.” Jesus is telling us that we are to put our faith and trust in Him for meeting all our needs, including our ability to work and earn a living. Later on, in that same section of scripture Jesus says this, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35).” To read this story in its context, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read John 6:25-59.     

So, this Labor Day, as you celebrate the social and economic achievements of the American workforce, remember this – take a break from your hard work, celebrate your success and accomplishments, and most of all, rely on Jesus for your strength, prosperity, and well-being.  

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.