Growing up, work was more than just a necessity, it was a way of life. My mother embodied the kind of work ethic many only read about in motivational books. She was, and still is, diligent, tireless, and disciplined. From her, I inherited a deep sense of responsibility and the belief that anything worth doing is worth doing well. I remember being in preschool, becoming sick, and yet crying to go to school because missing out on the ‘work,’ even at that tender age, felt like a loss. This mindset of relentless dedication shaped my childhood and followed me into adulthood. I love to work. The satisfaction of seeing a project through to completion, knowing that I’ve given it my all, brings a sense of fulfilment that’s hard to match. I take pride in what I bring to the table, and I’ve always valued the trust of those I serve. To me, micromanagement feels suffocating because it undermines that trust, a trust that I’ve always seen as a treasure.
As I’ve navigated my thirties, I’ve begun to realise that my approach to work, which has served me so well for so long, needs to evolve. I’ve been confronted with the reality that while my work ethic is strong, my “rest ethic” was nearly non-existent. The idea of rest has often seemed like a foreign concept to me, something that felt unproductive or even lazy. Yet, deep down, I know that rest is not just a luxury but a necessity.
If resting came naturally to us, I don’t believe God would have felt the need to demonstrate it so clearly. He could have created the world in a single moment, yet He chose to spread the work over six days and then rested on the seventh. And He didn’t just suggest that we do the same; He commanded it. That alone speaks volumes about the importance of rest, not just for the sake of our bodies, but for our souls. As I navigate this season of life, I’m learning to embrace rest as a crucial part of my life’s work, not a distraction from it. I’m discovering that rest is not the opposite of productivity but a vital component of it. Balancing work and rest is becoming a new kind of diligence for me, a discipline of another sort, one that requires just as much intention and effort as my work ever has.
This week’s blog is a reflection of what I’m learning as I’ve explored what it means to truly rest in a world that glorifies busyness. It’s about finding that sweet spot where work and rest are not at odds but are partners in the pursuit of our purpose. For me, it’s about unlearning the belief that my value is solely tied to my productivity and relearning that sometimes, the most productive thing I can do is simply to rest.
“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honour the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honour and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!” ~ Isaiah 58:13-14 (NLT)
“But I’ve got so much to do!” and “Praise the Lord! Now, I get to slack off.” The middle ground of holy rest is in between these two postures. Rest refuels us for the work God has for us that requires us to show up with new fuel to do it well. The question is, are you willing to interrupt how you work so that you can quiet your soul before God and hear His voice more clearly? The rest God calls us to is more than just doing nothing because even in doing nothing, our souls can still be running busy. True rest allows us to encounter God, knowing Him and ourselves better. This is where that refuelling takes place.
Rest wasn’t designed to be a distraction from work but an attraction to God and His view of you. You are loved and enough, regardless of what you do or don’t do. You are worthy of God’s unconditional love before you ever lift a finger for yourself, your family, your church or the kingdom of God. God has called us to be productive in every sphere of our lives but if we neglect rest, productivity is jeopardised. His design for rest is that when we come out of that rest, we are refreshed and upgraded for more of His wonderful work. And yes, even our day jobs are work unto God. If it is what He is using to provide for your needs, you better work with all diligence friend! So, what does all this mean? What can we do to sharpen our rest ethic and keep ourselves humble before God as we do? I have three things I try to consistently keep at the forefront of my mind that I’d like to share with you today.
Rest must be intentional
In times gone past, it was possible to have “accidental rest” but today, we have to be more intentional about our rest. And all the parents say, “Jesus help!” Intentionality starts with settling it in our hearts that if we don’t rest well, we won’t be effective with our ‘next.’ The renewal of rest is necessary for your productivity. Rest is holy. In the above passage of scripture, God calls it holy twice! That’s saying something: rest is sacred friend.
A friend offered me some advice after a busy and stressful period. I told her I was taking a few days off and planned to rest. She said, “Don’t even watch movies or shows, just switch off.” I didn’t say it at the time but I thought to myself, “Not watch TV shows? What manner of torture is that?!” I’ve found that she had a solid point. You see, rest is for us but it’s not just about us. God designed rest to be a time when we rest physically and mentally yes, but also a time when we quiet our souls long enough to engage with our heavenly Father on a spiritual level. Intentional rest for Ceaser and I happens when the children go and spend one weekend a month with my mother, and their Nana. During these two days, engaging spirit to spirit means having moments of worship that I can’t have when my home is busy and my children are screaming, “Mommy!” a hundred times per minute. It means taking half an hour to read my Bible while Ceaser goes down a temporary YouTube rabbit hole. It means seeing Ceaser, listening a little more attentively and truly being with him.
Being intentional about rest takes faith. Don’t believe me? Think about this: Pausing and risking missing an opportunity or finding a solution to a problem, trusting that God is taking care of things while you focus on Him takes faith. For some of us, deleting social media applications on our phones takes faith and I’m not even suggesting going that far. What I am suggesting is that you pay closer attention to how dedicated you are to your rest. I’ve learned that people who don’t prioritise rest and quality time with family aren’t fully yielded to the Spirit of God. These things are important to God and if we don’t make them important to us, we’re not living with intentionality in honouring God. When we say, “This is my time to rest or spend uninterrupted time with my spouse and or children,” I believe that what God has placed in our authority yields to God’s power because of our faith that God has those things in His hand. When we live our lives as though everything will fall apart if we take a moment to rest, aren’t we acting as though we have no God?
Rest must be sustainable
If rest should take priority in our lives it must be realistic to be repeatable. Travelling out of town and going on a vacation doesn’t qualify as rest. It’s a vacation which takes more effort, planning and resources. It can be a catalyst for moments of rest, but it isn’t in and of itself rest. Rest is simple and as such, it should be able to happen anywhere and at any time. In a recent chat with a friend, this subject came up. Is it possible to truly rest at home with all the reminders of what needs our attention? Her answer was, “Not so much,” while mine was a resounding, “Yes!” As a homebody, I feel most at rest in my home. I plan and prepare our meals ahead of time, turn all my mom reminders off, stash my laptop and my phone goes on ‘do not disturb.’ I have a specific spot in my house and another backup spot where I can just rest my bones in the presence of God. I say all this to say, establish a pattern that is realistic for you and your family in the season of life you’re in today. The pattern should become so well repeated that your mind and body know that it’s time to rest.
God’s blessings are linked to rest
Who doesn’t appreciate a good incentive? Incentives are great and God knows this. In His wisdom, He has attached incentives to our obedience to rest. Creativity, favour, divine connections and a whole lot more, are tied to our rest. God called the Sabbath blessed, not so much the day itself, but the holy rest we participate in. We often miss these blessings when we focus so much on the religious practice rather than the gift of love and connection God offers through His Sabbath. It’s always been about connection with God. His desire to do life with us, and to be our source of life, means so much to Him. When we intentionally rest, our faith in God is on full display and it puts us in the perfect position for His love to pour out onto us. As children of the Creator, we have His creative nature, but this was designed to thrive best after a restful connection with Him. He has such divine ideas He longs to give us if we would just take the time to rest ourselves in His presence.
The promise God has for your life isn’t going to come to pass because you worked yourself to the bone. No, your inheritance in God is waiting within your restful time with God. The faith and trust our deliberate rest demonstrates is how we access our blessings. As an entrepreneur, this intentional rest has been hard because the buck stops with us and it weighs heavily on our shoulders. But when we step into rest by faith, we demonstrate that the buck stops with God and that He is calling us to place the load on His shoulders. My prayer is that as we push forward into the last four months of this year, we will do so with renewed energy and enthusiasm because we are being refreshed by holy rest.