Editorial August 31, 1918 Issue

Labor of Love

William D. McCrackan

In the language of affairs the word labor has acquired a restricted sense which does an injustice to the word itself and to those associated therewith. In this sense labor is defined as meaning, "Those who labor; the laboring class collectively." In the United States a special holiday has been set apart under the designation of Labor Day. In order that the meaning of this day may be raised from matter into mind, it must be recognized that all labor is primarily mental, and that all who think productively belong to the classification of "those who labor." In this manner Labor Day acquires a meaning transcending class and condition. One step further in our metaphysical definition brings us to the recognition that the highest type of labor is the labor of love,—and wherein can human beings most assuredly perform this labor of love for their fellow men? The scientifically Christian answer indicates that the highest service to others is to ascend one's self out of the valley of mist into the radiant heights of Truth, thereby drawing others unto the light.

Man as the exact image and likeness of God thinks invariably in accord with perfect Mind; indeed cannot think otherwise, for there is nothing imperfect in the divine Mind. The unreflecting human may argue that these statements are academic and superfine, hence of no practical value. But at this point divine Science becomes Christian Science through its application to human needs, for human footsteps must be taken in Christian Science. Here then is the answer to the cry of the sick and wounded, the shocked, the betrayed, the sinning, and the hopeless. Here is the supreme labor of love. Behold, the truth can be realized here and now and thereby failing strength can be restored, blurred vision cleared, hate replaced by love, and sorrow wiped away by joy.

The reward of labor corresponds to the quality of labor. If the sowing of the seed has been a labor of love, the harvest will satisfy abundantly. If the builder communes with God when he lays the foundations of the house, his labor of love will withstand the attempts of hate or jealousy to undermine it. As the psalmist sang: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." The sentinel who does not love the army of truth and liberty may go to sleep at his post; the merchant who dislikes or mistakes his vocation fails to serve his customers properly; the housekeeper who cannot make of her occupation a labor of love cannot make a happy home for others. So the child who cannot be interested in school work wishes to play truant in order to find something he can enjoy. The fruit tree yields "fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself." In human experience seeds of fear, envy, self-pity, revenge, produce bitter fruit and sour grapes; but in the absolute Science of real being the seed is of good quality only and the fruit good. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 507) Mrs. Eddy has written: "Creation is ever appearing, and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source. Mortal sense inverts this appearing and calls ideas material. Thus misinterpreted, the divine idea seems to fall to the level of a human or material belief, called mortal man. But the seed is in itself, only as the divine Mind is All and reproduces all—as Mind is the multiplier, and Mind's infinite idea, man and the universe, is the product."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Labor of Love

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access