The Roman poet Ovid one said, "Take a rest; the field that has rested gives a beautiful crop." Far too often we labor much too much without taking time to refresh our minds and body. On the other hand, some people rest far too much. We should strive to strike a balance in our life.
Health
Sleep is one of the human body’s best natural preventive medicines, and is able to restore and refresh both mind and body.
We need to rest. When we toil with our day-to-day activities our body and spirit wears down. We then have a tendency to become irritable, frustrated, cranky - and our mood takes a turn for the worse. I see this in myself and my spouse from time to time.
Our internal switch tells us when we need to rest, but we often ignore it. Caffeine or stimulants do not alleviate our tiredness but can lead to increased sleep deprivation. Stimulated, we press on to complete whatever tasks we need to complete, sometimes without great results we are capable of doing.
As a writer, I can work (and typically do work) 16-18 hours in a day during the peak season (September through mid-May). If I fail to rest my eyes and my body, my writing suffers. A nap always serves to get me back on track. My clients also receive better work when I am rested.
Rest versus laziness
Personally, I can never remember a time when I was lazy. A lazy day here and there, yes, but never habitually lazy. A dictionary defines laziness thus: "Unwilling to work or use energy.”
Unwilling to work. We see a lot of this today in all societies. It is not a good thing. There is plenty of work available, but people are becoming more dependent of their governments to provide for their needs. Laziness is destructive. Rest is profitable. We need to know the difference.
God's concept of rest
After Jesus created the universe (Genesis 2:2-3) according to the Father's plan, we know He rested. This is called the Sabbath. God does not need rest; however, He did this to set an example for us. As the Creator, he knew full well how frail the human body was.
When Jesus entered our time and appeared as a Man, he rested:
"The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:30-31, NIV).
There are other instances of Jesus resting, even when people needed Him. We need to follow His example. We can't do everything for everyone and not expect to suffer from the negative impact of burnout.
The Old Testament command
God knows what is best for us and is quite serious about the concept of resting.
“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the Lord; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death" (Exodus 35:2).
Yikes! Death? Thankfully the new covenant came when Jesus did.
The new covenant
When speaking of rest, Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV).
This verse has a couple of revelations in it that are worth noting and understanding. Sin is in all of our lives from the moment we are born into the world. Sin wears the body down (makes us weary), even to the point of death.
"Come to me" is our personal invitation for the broken-hearted soul and heavily-burdened sinner. When an individual comes to Jesus, s/he gives their burdens over to Him. He forgives our sins and makes us a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The rest that Jesus Christ gives is an eternal rest far beyond our ability to fully comprehend, and it can never be earned or bought (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a gift!
I encourage you to not only get your proper physical rest, but also receive your spiritual rest in Christ Jesus. He will provide a safe harbor in times of trials and give you the rest you require. As we practice obedience to Him, as He commanded, our crops will yield beautiful fruit for His glory and our reward. In this we may rest assured of our salvation in Christ Jesus.
This a message the world needs to hear right now because even in this world no more rest because the end is fast approaching but in christ there is complete and perfect peace.