The Importance of Work
Since the pandemic brought everything to a halt people have had a chance to actually see that they were working themselves to death and were ignoring many other important things in their life.
This is long overdue.
Our culture has made work-a-holism and consumerism a lifestyle, and a destructive lifestyle at that. It denies not only our humanity but our spiritual needs as well.
Americans have long been considered the most productive people but this has been at the expense of our spiritual, emotional and family life to name just some aspects.
We are indeed told to work hard as unto our Lord.
Christ himself was a laborer, a carpenter which meant in the context of the time and culture he worked hard.
There are real thorns and thistles with all of our work both mental and physical. Despite these thorns and thistles, we can still experience God's purpose in work as we steward the opportunities God has given us each day.
The Importance of Rest
We must rest, our body and mind requires it, therefore it’s healthy to have well defined limits and plans instead of our moment-by-moment emotions. We must learn to stop working, to say enough is enough.
Taking Sabbath rest requires discipline and intentionality, and many of us in our perfectionist mindset do not rest well which makes rest hard work for some people.
When the time comes to rest, actually rest don't cheat.
Put down your smartphone, get off social media, pray, read scripture, listen to music, read a book or take a nap.
Recommended reading:
Sean McGever’s book The Good News of Our Limits is a recommended read for any Christian interested in productivity. McGever's point is that the basic problem with productivity is not that it doesn’t account for our limitations, it fails to account for what it means for human beings to be created by our Creator.” Our most obvious limitations like poor health and depressed motivations are intertwined with the debility of our sins. But we’re also designed as limited beings in other marvelous ways. Yet the fact remains we are created in God’s image, which gives great dignity to our lives and vocations, even if we are not believers. God' common grace helps all of mankind.
McGever refers to our created and built in inadequacy a “gift,” connected to our design by God. God’s Kingdom and the kingdoms of this world have fundamentally different economies. Saints who work unnoticed and quietly, devoting years of their lives ministering to suffering and marginalized people have little to show in terms of money or résumé but they are rich beyond measure within God’s Kingdom (Matthew 25:23).
Other image bearers who by life circumstances are unable to be productive in the worlds eyes; infants, the elderly, or the severely disabled, are of infinite value to God.
Rest in Christ
Ultimately our rest is not in a Sabbath day, day off, vacation etc. but in the One who has promised: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).