Work and RestSample

A balance between work and rest

Most people simply have to work to earn a living. Work belongs to our daily life. But work can also give satisfaction. Creating beauty, caring for others, or having a good job can be a blessing and a pleasure.

At the same time, work can be exhausting and hard. Some people experience their jobs as a continual struggle. They long for rest and sometimes even feel overworked.

These two sides of work and rest are both present in the Bible. We will read more about them in the coming days. The first point to note is that God explicitly commands his people to keep a healthy balance between work and rest. Nowadays, many people seem to live in order to work, not work in order to live, even if they have enough money. Others avoid working as much as they can. However, God commanded the people of Israel: “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest”. Work is good, but we also need rest so that we “may be refreshed”. Keeping that balance is not always easy. In Israel’s history, we see how they repeatedly disobeyed God’s commandment about the weekly day of rest (see e.g. Ezekiel 20:13, 22:8). But, if we keep that balance, we will be blessed. God promises it in Isaiah 56.

Which role does ‘work’ play in your life?