Labor of Love - 1 Corinthians 15:58

(58) Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I am employed in an outpatient mental health office.  We only see adults in our practice.  I am usually the first person behind the desk when someone enters the office.  My employment has been secure with Dr. Mastor for four years and I can truly say I love my position.  It is the job God called me to according to his purpose for my life.  I don't hold a college degree. I'm not a professional counselor, but I've been asked by many people if I am a counselor.  When I answer that I'm not, the response is "well, you should be one, because you sure are good at what you do."  We aren't pill pushers.  I spend my day with people on the phone and in person who are in dire straits and who sometimes think that a pill will cure all their ails.  It is imperative that I fully and actively listen to their cries for help.  Sometimes, they need to be directed to a professional counselor and not toward a medication.  When God directs accordingly, I am able to (without crossing boundaries) influence them in a godly way, giving them pause to think differently than they have conditioned themselves to think.  I can't always give them what they want, but I take the time to listen and direct them as best as I am able.  Invariably, their spirit is lifted before we end the conversation and they are thankful for my time and interest in their quality of life.
I am employed by an outstanding physician, but I work for the Lord.  I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to assist my fellow citizens in this capacity and to serve the Lord in my current position. Sure, I would appreciate a higher income, but I bring home a paycheck that is sufficient for our needs.  I know I don't labor in vain, because it's not about the money.  It's about the peace and joy I experience in my heart on a daily basis, because I know whose I am and for whom I toil.
Writing Nan's Calendar is also a labor of love.  I don't do it for the money, because there is no income involved.  I don't have to wait to write a book and have it published in order to encourage others.  I don't dream of getting rich by writing a best selling self help inspirational book.  I am fulfilling my purpose in life now.  There is no time like the present and there is no time to lose.  Now, today, people need to be encouraged and inspired.  I am a missionary who sits right here at my computer, reaching out to people all over the world, by the miracle of the internet.  I didn't set out to become a missionary.  It wasn't a vision or a goal.  It is what it is because God is in the center of it all and because he has given so much to me, I want to share what I have received.  I write because I love the Lord and I love you, my neighbor.  You may live in Canada, but I consider you my neighbor and my friend.  You may live in Anytown, USA and you are still my neighbor and my friend. 
The Nan you know from Nan's Calendar is the real deal.  I am the same Nan in church, at work, and in the grocery store as the one who presents before you right now.  I am real.  I have been hurt and I have healed by the grace of God and you can, too.  Nan's Calendar is a labor of love. My life is a life of love.
Desire to become the person you want to be and by the grace of God you will become that person.....beautiful on the inside and outside....Mama always said "pretty is as pretty does". If Mama were alive today, she would be proud of me and the woman I am becoming. Somehow, I think she knows.
You have to want to be healed more than anyone wants healing for you.  To be healed isn't the same thing as being cured.  To be healed in spirit is the greatest healing of all. 
I pray for your spirit to be healed, for you to be whole and filled with the glory of the Lord.
Take care.  Love, Nan