{"id":8511,"date":"2015-09-04T12:00:10","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithforward\/?p=8511"},"modified":"2015-09-04T18:34:55","modified_gmt":"2015-09-04T18:34:55","slug":"labor-day-of-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithforward\/2015\/09\/labor-day-of-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor (Day) of Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u201cIt is not doing the thing which we like to do, but liking to do the thing which we have to do, that makes the difference.\u201d \u2014 Goethe<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"shutterstock_229272709\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you tell the difference between canned soup and homemade soup? The difference is, in part, the love (or lack of it) that goes into creation of the soup. Even vegetarians know of the alleged therapeutic value of homemade chicken soul to \u201ccure\u201d the common cold. The therapeutic value of homemade soup \u201cproves\u201d that the attitude we have toward our work change the results of our work. If you see your job (from making soup to driving a truck) as a labor of love, then love will be a part of the result. And a job done with love will often result in a more loving and lovable\u00a0<\/strong>worker.<\/p>\n

But many people dislike their jobs (duh!). The writer of Ecclesiastes said with exasperation,\u201cUtterly meaningless! Everything meaningless!\u2026 My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor\u2026 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun\u2026\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Many people feel the answer to hating your job is to get a new one. Perhaps. Another option is to look\u00a0first\u00a0<\/em>for sacredness and vitality in your present occupation. Truck drivers, waiters, surgeons, carpenters, makers of soup ~ all can be doing God\u2019s work. The Apostle Paul was a tent-maker. Jesus was a carpenter. Albert Schweitzer was a physician. You may be a stay-at-home Mom. All of these \u201cjobs\u201d may rewards you spiritually, if not financially. The writer, Goethe, states, \u201cIt is not doing the thing which we like to do, but liking to do the thing which we have to do, that makes the difference<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

People often feel \u201cstuck\u201d for years \u00a0in a job that pays okay but is not spiritually rewarding. They stay for pretty obvious reasons, such as feeding the kids and having access to health insurance. But even in such circumstances, a good bottom line and beginning point with which to begin each work day is asking, \u201cHow may I be useful? What will make me feel spiritually rewarded? What am I willing to do to assure that my contributions will be\u00a0<\/strong>beneficial to others?\u201d<\/p>\n

But no job needs to be completely unfulfilling if you cultivate a\u00a0spiritual\u00a0<\/em>perspective on all that you do. Whatever you do for a\u00a0job<\/em>\u00a0can be part of fulfilling a\u00a0ministry<\/em>. Many people I know have searched diligently for meaning and spirituality in such things as digging ditches,and have found little or none.\u00a0So they cultivated a fulfilling service in volunteering as such \u201cministry\u201d as hospital volunteer, hospice worker, advocate for homeless persons, and answering phones at a domestic violence hotline. A good starting place for each day is asking, \u201cHow may I be of use? What am I willing to do to make my life more spiritually rewarding? What am I willing to do to make the world a slightly better place as a result of my having been here?\u201d Happy Labor Day of Love!<\/p>\n

Dwight Lee Wolter is the pastor of the Congregational Church of Patchogue on Long Island, New York. He blogs at dwightleewolter.com<\/em><\/p>\n

Image: Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is not doing the thing which we like to do, but liking to do the thing which we have to do, that makes the difference.\u201d \u2014 Goethe Can you tell the difference between canned soup and homemade soup? 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