Labor of Love → Love of the Labor
Motherhood introduced me to a whole new kind of labor.
At first, so much of it is simply what we do because we love them.
We wake up. We work. We provide. We sacrifice. We show up.
It’s a labor of love.
Of course I loved my children from the beginning, but as I’ve watched them grow—getting to know their personalities, their hearts, and who God created them to be—my love for them has grown deeper too.
Then life took some unexpected turns, and for a long time,
much of what I did was fueled by survival.
It was easy to carry disappointment, to keep score, or to let the work in front of me become a constant reminder of where someone else wasn’t showing up.
But God has been changing something in me.
The responsibilities haven’t necessarily changed, but my perspective has.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that the freedom I was looking for wasn’t
going to come from someone else changing.
It could come from a change in me.
I’m learning that choosing to love the labor is incredibly freeing.
Because when I stop measuring what I’m doing against what
someone else is or isn’t doing,
I stop giving their choices power over my heart.
It was easy to keep score, focus on what felt unfair, or allow resentment to
creep into something I was doing for the people I love most!
And that’s a heavy way to live.
The same work that once stirred resentment can become
something I genuinely find joy in doing—
not because it suddenly became fair or easy, but because
I love who I’m doing it for.
Instead of “I have to do this because I love you,” it became:
“I choose to do this because I love you.”
And eventually…
“I actually love that I get to do this for you.”
That shift—from a labor of love to a love of the labor—has brought so much freedom and joy into my life.
The labor may still be hard.
The sacrifice may still be real.
But I get to decide how I carry it.
And what a gift it is to work, to provide, to serve, and to love the
people God has given us to love.
I’ve realized this idea reaches into so many different areas of our lives.
Mine was experienced through divorce, providing for my children,
and learning a new way of showing up for my family—
but your labor may look completely different.
Maybe it’s your marriage. Caregiving. Building a business.
Showing up for someone who needs you.
Or simply carrying a responsibility you never expected to carry.
What would change if you stopped seeing that work only as something you have to do and started choosing to love the labor?
What if you could even find joy in the sacrifice because you love so deeply who—or what—you’re doing it for?
Is there an area of your life where a shift in perspective
could bring more freedom—or even more joy?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.
What does loving the labor look like in your life?
Oh, and Happy Labor Day! Now… put me to work....
My Labor Day Sale runs 9/3–9/8:
Available Artwork — 25% OFF Use code LABORDAY at checkout.
Commissioned Feathers — 20% OFF Use code LOVELABOR at checkout.
Best, Lacey
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