Sunday, October 14, 2012

Not Grumbling or Visible

Sandra posted a stimulating group of quotes today for her Sabbath Keeping, with the theme of Work. I usually have to-do lists in many categories stacked on my desk, with some of the entries also boxed in on weekly calendars, so Work is an entity, an idea, a reality that I spend a lot of time on -- I'm human, after all, made in the image of God, and in John 5:17, "... Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."

I have a pretty good collection of quotes on this subject myself, and one anonymous maxim from The Salt Cellar collection of Charles Spurgeon is a favorite: "They never wrought a good day's work who went grumbling about it."

I also love this one by Teresa of Avila: "It is only mercenaries who expect to be paid by the day." Those two might just about sum up, my apophatic theology of work.

But today I was comforted by Victor Hugo's reminder that Sandra passed on:
A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought.
There is visible labor and there is invisible labor.  --Victor Hugo

Reading all these quotes about work and thinking about many things, I was fortified by drinking a new herbal tea that Soldier gave me a while back. It is my latest favorite. I made a potful to keep me going for a couple of hours of my favorite kind of work. 

6 comments:

Pom Pom said...

Yay! I loved all Sandra's quotes as well. Good truth that resonates in the soul, well, that's the BEST kind of medicine.
I shall take some herbal tea to work today.
Sending lots of love your way, friend.

M.K. said...

(Hey! You redid your page! It's bright and lovely. That has nothing to do with your post.)

All of this is so full of wisdom. I particularly like the last one from Mr. Hugo. I think when my brain is truly churning these days, I'm hardest at work and doing the most productive, satisfying work.

I need to go back over and reread Sandra's Sabbath post.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

I am the queen of invisible labor! What I find to be true about work--the kind where you actually get off the couch and do something--is that it puts you to rights if you're out of sorts. We need to work, I think, both with our minds and with our bodies.

xofrances

elizabeth said...

a woman's work is never done is one I think of :) lovely quotations; thank you!

heather west said...

Love the new blog template! I think I have finally figured out my blogging identity. . .embarassing.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Hi Gretchen, Dave used to tell me he made his money well before he did the work...meaning, of course, he put a lot of thinking before doing. He taught me well -smile-.
You're written an enjoyable post today and thank you for the mention.