September Mentor Monthly

September Focus: Working for the Lord

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

Colossians 3:23

Week One

I hope that everyone is enjoying their time off for Labor Day! It is always so nice to have a three-day weekend with friends and family. Labor Day is a day to take a break from work (labor) but I have always wondered how this holiday became legally official, so I turned to the internet to find out more information.

In the late 1800s adults AND children, ages 5 and up, worked fourteen-hour days, seven-day weeks to just to be able to purchase the minimum amount of food, clothing and shelter required to live. This was not only damaging to the physical health of the workers, but can you imagine the overall toll it took on their minds as well?

On September 5^th,about 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, to protest the inhuman conditions and expectations that were placed on them in the workplace. Their courageous act became known as the first ever Labor Day Parade – sparking and demanding reformation across the country. Twelve years later this parade was officially recognized by the United States Congress and designated as an official paid holiday.

For this week, discuss this important moment in history with your mentee. Share with them how when we work, we are not only able to pay bills, but are also able to show God’s glory. When we live our day to day lives for Him, we can make a huge impact on the people around us!

 

Week Two

Continue last week’s conversation about working with our whole heart for the Lord. Was there ever a time that you disagreed with a past or current boss/supervisor? Did you still work as if for the Lord and if not, how could you have done things differently?

Discuss that moment with your mentee and remind them that this could apply to their school and home life. Ask them if there ever is a time when they don’t want to do their homework, clean their room and/or follow their parent’s and teacher’s direction? Help them to understand why working with your whole heart for God is so important.

 

Week Three

Share with your mentee the process or steps that helped you get the job that you have right now. Did you go to college, a trade school or something else? Discuss with them the hard work you have put in and use this opportunity to share with them the importance of education whether academic or trade, outside of a high school diploma.

Get them thinking about what job they want to do after high school and help them set goals to that will lead them down the right path to achieving them. Encourage them to remember that whatever job that they may choose, that they can do it for the glory of God!

 

Week Four

Recap the month by reminding your mentee about the hard-working conditions that created Labor Day. Really emphasize the magnitude of this. Five-year old kids, working in factories for 14 hour days, seven days a week. No air conditioning with very limited access to water or a clean environment. Working sunup till sundown. No time to play games, no time to be a kid.

Tell them to remember a time when their parent/guardian asked them to clean their room or do something that they thought was hard. Help them to empathize with the kids mentioned and show the importance of Labor Day and rest.

God created a day of rest. In the beginning God created the Earth and on the seventh day He rested. Without rest you will not be able to put your whole heart into your work every day – and be miserable because of it. The kids that we have been discussing had no time for rest, no time for play and it killed their joy. The little money they made working went to food and living expenses. They did not buy whatever they wanted.

Encourage your mentee to work hard for the Lord but to also enjoy everything that they have worked hard for.

Below are some pictures of the child laborers from this time period.