SELAH | Defining Rest In The Age Of ProductivitySýnishorn

Ask yourself if striving is worth it. 

Meaningless.

It’s not the first word that we’d associate with work, or stress. So much of the why behind our “required” anxiety is that the end goal of our stress is worth the emotional, spiritual, and mental breakdown that we go through to get there. 

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes sees stress and striving differently. Over and over again, he calls anxiety and overwork as meaningless. The kind of life that keeps us from true rest—even if our bodies get exhausted, our minds are constantly running—lacks substance because it’s a life that leaves no room to enjoy itself. Godly work is a substantial part of life on earth; striving leaves us empty, constantly seeking another success to offset our past failures. 

Today, stop and listen to this: What in your life was designed as work but has been distorted into striving? What anxieties need to be left behind when rest becomes the priority? Ask yourself if the worries that accompany your work are worth carrying with you.