Being Beloved

All the Life and Work Given To You.

Katherine Mansfield while ill was writing in her diary reasons to stay alive, she wrote:

“Now Katherine, what do you mean by health? And what do you want it for?

Answer: By health I mean the power to live a full, adult, living, breathing, life in close contact with those I love… Then I want to work. At what? I want so to live that I work with my hands and my feeling and my brain. I want a garden, a small house, grass, animals, books, pictures, music. And out of this, the expression of this, I want to be writing.”

The desire to work has been so intricately knit into us as created human beings that it comes in second place only behind our living, breathing, healthy life. What began in Eden was creation, life and work all intermingled. God said it was good, so I trust that it was. Adam gave names to God’s creations.

Eve is deemed the mother of all living. They flourish and tend the garden of Eden. They are told to plant, to subdue, to create more from what they have been given. Made in the image of God they reflected God as creative, thinking beings working at what God had given them. They worked, at least for awhile.

Work was never a curse or punishment. The thorns, hard ground and pains were the curse after disobedience. Hard, difficult and toilsome are still words describing works done today after the gift of Christ has been given. It’s not that difficulties will ever be taken away, because they won’t be, but we have a choice of whether we reject or accept what God offers us for strength and comfort. His providence may not always come as we imagined it.

We can lean into whatever circumstances we are in and slowly have our senses revived on a spiritual level. Eyes opened to truths and ears once again able to hear and understand. “Taste and see the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8 When was the last time you stopped to notice with your senses the goodness of God?

With all of your heart. With all of your mind. With all your soul. This is how God wants to be loved. How interesting it is that humans like us, like Katherine Mansfield, also have a desire to work in some capacity. We want to engage our bodies to physical purposes, our souls to love and beauty and our minds to wisdom and understanding.

Love the Lord Your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and out of that love, the expression of all God’s love, of all the life and work He has given you, create something so lovely that others cannot help but see God’s glory in it.


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