Wikipedia says that of this day: "Labor Day...is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country."
Strength...prosperity...and well-being. Yes, I'm grateful for the great aptitude we the people have in pursuing ambition and success. We are a nation that loves what work affords us, but despise the labor of working. Our cultural ethos seems to be: Work hard so that you can quit working so hard.
But, were we to excel at the art of living...the science of selflessness...the labor of brotherly love. Were we to work towards becoming great in living large by living small...I just wonder what kind of people we would be? Would we tire of it? Would we long to love others so that we can stop altogether? To give sacrificially now in hopes of never having to be generous again?
Laboring in love, when working for a greater purpose than oneself, produces a desire for more, not less. The glorious by-product of laboring in love is self-transformation, not self-indulgence. We get to become, not just acquire. What if the finish line when we labor in love is not retirement, but Glory?
Strength in humility...prosperity--measured against eternity...and well-being that transcends our economic gain or status. May we celebrate the art of living quietly and working with our hands (1 Thessalonians 4:11) this Labor Day, aspiring to prosper, and not retire, in the work of living and loving well.
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Linking up in community...
Welcome to GraceLaced Mondays, a link up dedicated to sharing any and all blog posts by like-minded lovers of grace--God's grace! Grace is found in the everyday when you are intentional about taking note of it...and I invite you to share your story, great or small, of how everyday moments are full of Grace.
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