LOVE & LABOR

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LOVE & LABOR

It is a perfect Labor Day Week-end in Maine. The sun is out, radiating a gentle warmth that beckons one to come and be in its overflowing joy.

My little dogs , Daisy and Coconut, have been romping happily in the sunshine.  I gave them treats, and Daisy  bounded off with irrepressible joy! She ran and ran  around the yard, looking for just the right spot. When she found it, she furiously dug with front paws and nose until she had a good-sized hole. Then she droped the treat from her mouth into the hole, and covered it back up with dirt. Then, she ran back, looking up at me with her dirt-encrusted nose and shining eyes eager to do it again.

Daisy could do this all day. This  is her greatest passion in life--to dig holes and bury treats.

Why? I remember a chat I had with Rev. Dorothea Harvey many years ago, when she came to visit me in NH. She and I sat in the sun out back, watching Daisy run around digging holes.

Dorothea always seemed  filled with deep wisdom, so I asked her: “Dorothea, why do dogs dig?” She said, “because they can.” I smiled. She added: “And it brings them great joy.”

I ask myself how often I’m doing something in life that brings me great joy.  How often do you complete a task with your  eyes glowing, and filled with energy to do it again?

Most of us feel a clear distinction between our hours of labor, and our times for  fun.  But Swedenborg doesn't think they need to be divided.

Psychologist Wilson Van Dusen says all of our moments can be like this:

We have two shoe repairmen, both making a living at their trade. One has as his aim the making the most money. He cuts corners on materials and workmanship. He has to grind out as many repairs as possible. The 2nd also is concerned with profit, but he enjoys meeting customers, talking of shoe problems, and he enjoys his craft. The aim of the first is his profit above the customer’s welfare. The aim of the 2nd is profit through the customer’s welfare. This is the difference between hell and heaven.  [Uses:  A Way of Personal & Spiritual Growth}

And just what happens in Heaven?  What does one do there?

In the tapestry of your life, when do you have those special moments of fully expressing who you are,  and being with God?

What is your deepest love? How often are you able to engage in the activities that express it? How can you find more time in your life to do the things that you love?

What can you do to bring more of those moments into the labors of your life?

Do those things which bring great joy. And bring joy into all that you do.

Let us pray.

Extinguish your candles

 

   

And close the Bible.