Vicki Keiser, Church Council and Stephen’s Ministry

James 5:1-6
Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves on the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Reflection:
There is much to unpack in these six verses of James.  What really spoke to me was how James refers to the workers being mistreated, not paid or underpaid by the wealthy.  I never experienced such treatment in my lifetime. My first job was in a Woolworth’s (I am dating myself now; for those of you who don’t know it was a discount retailer) in a mall that I sought as a part-time job to earn money for a school trip I desired to go on in 10th grade. It was a minimum wage job where hours were after-school and weekends fit in around school activities.  Of course, I was not trying to support myself on this wage, instead my goal was to earn extra money for the desired trip. My mom and dad paid for my food, shelter, transportation, clothing.  Over the remainder of my high school years and through college (both undergraduate and graduate school) I had numerous ongoing full-time summer jobs, Christmas break jobs, and part-time jobs during college to pay for as much as I could of college expenses. But I always had my mom and dad as the backstop to help supplement my income to meet the basic needs of food, shelter, transportation and clothing. After graduate school, my first official full-time position was more than adequate to pay for my food, shelter, transportation and clothing. I was very blessed to stay with that company for 35 years; I observed that all of our employees were valued and I believe were fairly compensated such that each could meet their basic needs. 

After retiring I have become involved with small businesses, and this is where I personally felt the direct responsibility and obligation as an employer; the employees had families and that those employees along with their families were depending on the business for their wages and salaries to cover their basic needs and more. I know this seems obvious but until I lived it, it was something that I had not fully comprehended. This light bulb moment for me has made me evaluate and approach compensation decisions differently. While each business must make a reasonable return it is also incumbent to evaluate that return in the context of the investment in its most important asset — its employees.  This light bulb moment has extended for me to others, be it a housekeeper, gardener, handyman, restaurant server, etc.  

I truly believe that we have been given blessings so we can be a blessing to others.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help me to realize the many blessings you have bestowed on me and that you continue to bestow on me each day. Dear Lord, please guide me to be a blessing each day to those that work for me and around me. I pray this in your holy name. Amen.