First Rest, Then Work: Retreat, Vocation, and the Gift of Labor Day

Each year, Labor Day marks a change in rhythm. For many of us, it signals the end of summer schedules, the beginning of a new school year, or the return to more structured patterns of work. As the “last long weekend” before Fall begins in earnest, Labor Day carries within it a deep spiritual truth: rest precedes our work. This is the pattern woven into creation itself, where for human beings, Sabbath comes first, and from that Sabbath flows work that is purposeful and good. 

At Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center, we see this truth embodied every time people come here for retreat. A retreat is not an escape from work or our vocation. Instead, retreat is a return to the wellspring that nourishes our vocation in all its forms. In silence and prayer, on wooded trails and marsh walks, around shared meals, and in spaces set apart for reflection, retreat reorients us to the love that lies at the heart of all we are called to do. 

It is tempting to reduce our vocation (or, calling) to our jobs. Certainly, our professions matter and are important expressions of our gifts and contributions to a greater good. But vocation is far broader than a profession or job. It includes how we live in our families, our friendships, our neighborhoods, and our wider communities.

At its core, vocation is about the work of love. We are called into authentic relationships marked by mutual trust, openness, generosity, support, and care. Meaning and purpose are discovered less in professional accomplishments and more in our capacity to love: to share life with others, to walk alongside those who are vulnerable, and to give ourselves in compassion and joy. In this sense, vocation is not simply about what we do but about who we are becoming in relationship to God and one another.

This is good news, but it is also challenging. Love entails patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and courage. It asks us to draw near to those who may be very different from us, to learn from them, to grow and change, and to remain open even when life is complex and painful. Living our vocation as love is our greatest joy and our deepest responsibility. 

Retreats support our capacity to live in love. A retreat, at its best, is a holy pause that invites us to remember who we are and whose we are. We step back from constant activity long enough to come home to ourselves. We remember that our worth does not depend on our work but rather our acceptance and inclusion as beloved children of God. We breathe more deeply, listen more carefully, and discover once again the freedom and joy that flow from God’s abiding love.

This kind of rest does not make us less capable of living out our vocations—it strengthens us for them. Parents return home more patient and attentive. Professionals return to their work with clarity of purpose. Volunteers and caregivers return with renewed dedication. Communities of faith and nonprofit organizations return ready to embody love in concrete, creative, and courageous ways. Retreat also awakens us to show up with compassion in the wider world, to be present in the margins, and to participate in healing and reconciliation. Put simply, retreat equips us to return to our daily lives with the capacity to live our vocations more fully as the work of love. 

As we pause on Labor Day this year, we are reminded once again that rest precedes work. Our culture often tells us that achievement comes first and rest is the reward for it. But the pattern of Sabbath, and the wisdom of retreat, reverses that story. God created humans on the sixth day, and on the seventh day, all of creation rested. We are, quite literally, created to rest before we labor. We begin with rest so that our work—whether in our jobs, families, neighborhoods, or communities—can be defined by love rather than driven by desperation or exhaustion.

So perhaps this Labor Day, alongside backyard barbecues, one last dip in the lake, or a final day at the state fair, maybe we all can also pause and reflect: How can I rest in love? What relationships need tending? How might I enter this next season with greater patience, joy, compassion, and courage?  

When you are ready, consider retreating with us at Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center. Here you will find space to rest, to remember who and whose you are, and to renew your vocation as the beautiful and rewarding work of love. 

 

A Labor Day Blessing
May you know stillness that renews you.
May your labor flow from a center of rest and renewal.
May patience and joy define your relationships.
And may this season ahead be shaped –
       not by hurry or exhaustion –
but by the steady rhythms of love.