"He who loves his work never labors." ~ Jim Stovall, The Ultimate Gift

The weekend is here and we look forward to a long weekend where we get to celebrate Labor Day. For some, it is simple gratitude for a reprieve from our labor underneath the sun. For others, it is an excuse for barbecue and frolicking. While still others have to work on Labor Day. But I wonder if we really ever take the time to pause and consider just how much work has blessed us.

As we return to the normal grind that the fall season brings, we can lose our sense of gratitude for work, maybe sometimes wishing we could break free from our respective hamster wheels. But there is a gift to our laboring that we might miss. We get to partner with the Creator of this universe in whatever vocation we find ourselves in, and the work at hand might not be the real work. God is at work, building character in our hearts and watching to see if we will see the real mission around us—those we work with. 

As many try to climb their ladders for success, the motivations can slip into being purely self-focused or a drive to earn more so we can have more. But work is not merely a means to an end. It is a cultivator of all God has called us to do and He made us to work.

The ability to work is a privilege and it is an honor to be entrusted to complete a duty - no matter how large or small that task is. God equips us so we can serve, not so we can find our identity in work. As we seek to leave an impact and find value in all we do in this fallen world, the search for significance is more meaningful when our significance is for God's glory and not our own. The fruit we bear from our labor is eternal and for another.

When we enjoy our work and when we don't, we can find joy in the knowledge that God has a purpose in our work that is eternal. Our work is a reminder of the consequences of the fall of Adam, but it is also a part of our redemption. As we work unto the LORD for His glory, He accomplishes amazing things in and through us. None of it is in vain. Happy Labor Day, all!

Yours for Wise Stewardship,

Jeff Rogers