Happy Labor Day.
When I was a little girl, my family used to go to antique auctions. One of the purchases, when I was about three years old, was an old pine wood vanity. I remember it being painted, then I believe one of my brothers and I stripped it and either stained or repainted it, and in its last condition the vanity was painted white with green and pink accents. When our daughter was born, it was in her nursery for a few years. After being stored for many years, it was time to revive the vanity and find a new home in my bathroom.
The process of reviving the vanity was definitely a labor of love. I would use stripping gel, mineral spirits, and sandpaper to attempt to get the furniture back to its original form. The intricate details were tedious to try to make new. I wasn’t sure how the end result would be, but giving up was not an option.
So many crevices!
Here it is, approximately 52 years later from purchasing it, and this over a century old vanity has been transformed. My dad told me it looks better than it did when we bought it. Who knows maybe one day I’ll have a granddaughter to pass it down to.
There are a few devotionals that I could conjure up from that furniture transformation experience, but since today is Labor Day, I thought “a labor of love” would be an appropriate post. But…this scene isn’t the true labor of love I want to share with you.
According to the dictionary, one of the definitions of labor is expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory. Isn’t this what Jesus did for you and me? He paid a price, with unimaginable physical and mental effort, through a difficult situation. Jesus (God in human form) came to earth to live an exemplary life, died a criminal’s death on the cross, bore a beyond excruciating death, and rose again three days later. Now, that’s a true labor of love!
Oh, friend, will you allow Christ to transform your life into something better than it was before? He has such great plans for you. He is in the details and will not give up on you! I pray that you will be stripped of your old self and made new in Christ. Then, may your life be a labor of love by showing others Christ’s love in and through you. Be revived and refreshed by Jesus.
Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. Romans 12:2
God is fair, and he will remember all the work you have done. He will remember that you showed your love to him by helping his people and that you continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to be willing and eager to show your love like that the rest of your life. Then you will be sure to get what you hope for. 12 We don’t want you to be lazy. We want you to be like those who, because of their faith and patience, will get what God has promised. Hebrews 6:10-12
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
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