The Gift of Labor

I have to smile at the celebration of labor.  For most of us it is a day without focus on the work we typically do.  It is a day of feeling free from our labor.  Yet just returning from my favorite market, there is a lot of ‘labor’ going on to make this weekend relaxing, refreshing and  relational.

The work of our minds, hearts and bodies is a gift.  In a culture where the percentage of people unemployed stays at a 9.1% one begins to wonder what happens to the sense of being gifted, empowered and received.

Work for me is the overflow of who I am and the invitation to share who I am with others.  I know I am in a position in which there is a dance between who I am and what I do each day.  I feel so genuinely blessed, affirmed and called forth by people who come seeking spiritual direction or support in their contemplative lives.  I am so grateful there is a harmony between who I am and what I do.  And I know that is not true for everyone.

Eremos was blessed this year with a grant to provide support for others who are unemployed and/or underemployed.  It is an amazing gift to us and to others who need someone and some place to help them re-member who they are and what they have to offer to our world.  Life circumstances for these individuals has fragmented them to such a degree that they have lost their sense of identity, there sense of community and their sense of security.  Re-member is an offering of time and space to gather their lives so that the gift of work becomes truly a life-giving experience.

If you have ‘meaningful work’ please pray a blessing to all those who do not have that experience.  If your work does not reflect who you are, take a moment and open your hands in a stance of receptivity giving expression to your willingness to receive the gift of work through the gift of who you are.

If you are a business owner, lift your arms in a stance of risk-taking entrusting your vision to God and to what gift you need to take this business one step further in possibility. Receive the gift of being an instrument of grace for others.
Labor Day is truly a moment to honor the gift of labor, to celebrate the dignity of work and to be grateful for all the individuals who make this world a place to live and move and create meaning.

May your celebration of ‘Labor Day’ be a moment to stop, give thanks and bless.