After The Work

A heavy snowfall coats the ground like a soft, warm blanket. The flakes come down serenely in the silence, giving the impression that the land itself was a rest. Trees without leaves are dormant, the pines wear their white coats which sag their branches in a heavy stillness. The animals and creatures are asleep or at least dormant in their dens, the birds huddle in their nests. Indeed there is a rhythm to nature of work and rest, creation and destruction, life and death as seen in the yearly cycle.

We are creatures as well. We move about and work during the day and rest at night. We work 6 days and rest on Sunday. The creation account even has God resting on the 7th day. Does God rest? Does any force of nature require rest? Absolutely not, but for our benefit God knows what he created and placed in his Creation a cycle of work and rest, a time to build and a time to tear down.

How insane, how profoundly absurd, it is to think that we as people do not need rest! We are not robots, but creatures that can work and delight in our labors as well as rest and recreate in the splendor of creation! The inverse is also true: we are not built only for rest, either. If our only purpose is entertainment or leisure, our destruction is sure to follow. Our culture today provides entertainment 24/7/365. Many are happy to sit and be entertained all day, falling into pit of depression, the only dopamine we get is from the screen and not from life itself!

A healthy life has balance between work and rest, building and tearing down. There is work a family does, and rest a family does together as well. Our nature mirrors God’s, who creates and sustains this world. When we feel productive, we feel better about ourselves. When we create, we find our purpose and discover that life itself is the best entertainment. It is true life has its pains, but the living of life will have its own unique drama.

Perhaps you are stuck and cannot break the inertia of depression. Perhaps you are fearful of failure, and put off what you wish you could be doing. You must begin. You must try. Every journey begins with a first step, even if it is a stumble, ask God for the strength to begin, and begin today. Not moving forward in life, or rather, not attempting to move forward in life will slowly destroy what makes your beautifully you.

Perhaps you feel like a flaming star, burning out as you streak through life. Rest. Ask God for the rest you require. Look for cool waters and drink. You may have important work, but you will let more people down if you crash and burn than you would resting regularly. A vital part of adulthood is putting up boundaries, including what you need for survival. There will always be demand, learn to say “no, not now”. Turn off your phones. Go for a run. Work in your shop. Break out those scrap-books. Embrace the rhythm God himself has placed into this world.