In the first garden, work became painful toil. Because of Adam's sin, the ground resisted man, and food came only by "the sweat of your face." That moment brought anxiety and heavy labor into human work.

“By the sweat of your face you will eat bread.” Genesis 3:19

In another garden, Gethsemane, Jesus began His passion. As He prayed, His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.

This was a redemptive act. When the blood of Jesus mixed with the sweat of His brow and touched the cursed earth, He redeemed us from painful labor. He took our anxiety and painful toil into His own body.

This does not mean we stop working. The nature of our work changes. We are no longer driven by fear of lack or the pressure to perform. We are free from the sweat of anxiety. We labor from peace: (Shalom) שָׁלוֹם — “peace, wholeness, well-being” that guards our hearts.

Effort is a choice; the stress of survival is a curse that has been broken.