Day 5
They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity. --Isaiah 65:23a We can never really know the full end of the labor that we offer to the world. We are able to see the short-term results of our work, and we can project some of the outcomes, but the full impact of our work remains hidden to us. From time to time, the truth of this actually seeps stealthily into our consciousness, and without warning, a free-floating angst wafts over us. We begin to question what our life counts for, and if who we are and what we do in the world makes any real difference at all. We begin to notice we have an ambivalence about the work we do and even about our place in the universe. As surely as the dawn breaks across a darkened sky, and spring melts away winter, and seeds planted deep in the black earth push up to greet the sun’s warmth, so the work we do is always a part of the unfolding miracle of life. It doesn’t matter what the actual labor is, because it is not the labor alone that transforms the world. It is the heart and soul, the body and mind, the feelings and compassion that we bring to the work that transform the world. In the end, our life does count, and what we do does make a difference, simply because it is us doing it. O God, as pebbles in a stream glitter under the reflection of the sun, let my soul shine out in my work through the reflection of your love. These meditations first appeared at explorefaith.org Please use the share button at the top to share with friends and loved ones. Thanks!
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