workplace-ministry.com

‘God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done’. Gen 1:31-Gen 2:2

I saw a post today on a blog, referencing another blog and book that made comment on the need for people to rest, quoting the following:

“We all must have restful periods of incubation and calm. You’re meant to enjoy this time to relax and quietly grow, or simply catch your breath a while. Inactivity helps you gather energy so that you can take yourself to a whole new level in life. You’ll need these stores of energy so that, in the right time and place, you’ll be able to take off and fly high.”
~ Christen Murphy Resmo

On reading this it immediately made me think of the bible verse I quoted at the start of this post. Have people really lost sight of the need for rest? Are we so wrapped up in life and everything that has to be done that we no longer have an understanding of why we had a rest day on a weekly basis? For those of us who have a faith and belief, that day has been put aside for us to worship our Lord. For others it means ‘family time’, a day with the family. But so much has encroached on the traditional ‘day of rest’ with sporting activities, club activities, shops and other businesses now trading 7 days a week and so on. I’ve seen parents frazzled on Sundays having to get their kids from this competition to another, or having to leave real early in the morning because of a game that is taking place a distance away.

Even for those of us who work at home, the temptation to work 7 days a week is constant, because we’re driven to deliver on time, to do a good work.

One of my clients is a business coach and she quotes a story about an axeman who works longer hours and harder and harder but cuts less trees as the days pass by and when he’s asked why doesn’t he take time out to sharpen his saw, he answers ‘I can’t, I don’t have time’. I daresay that is how most people feel today - not enough time.

Even business coaches are now urging people to take time out for themselves, to get rest, to get some exercise, to go outdoors and enjoy the fresh air and what is available to them there, without having the need to deliver or perform. It is well known that those who are fresh, rested, happy in life are more likely to deliver what’s needed and perform much better. So if we know this in our heads, why don’t we take the advice and get the much needed rest? I feel it’s because of pressure and we get caught up in the whirlwind that has captured everyone else around us.

Why not take time out today to stop and think, to plan your week, and make sure you set aside time for yourself. If Sunday can’t be your rest day because you are working on that day, then make sure you select another day to be your rest day on a weekly basis. Book it into your diary if you have to so the constant reminder is there. We all need rest. KMT