Why can't we rest

“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you”. Psalms 116:7 NIV

In the story of creation, it clearly says that on the seventh day, God rested. He has an unlimited supply of creative power so He did not need the break, but He had a point. We don’t have an unlimited supply of anything on our own. Our capacity is limited. Failing to recognize that is dangerous.

First, we can literally kill ourselves working as though we are strong enough to carry the physical load we have, and the load carried by the people around us. I realize that the definition of hard work can vary but most of us do not take care of ourselves physically. So, the lack of rest can harm us physically. By the time my dad retired, his body was broken. He was actually forced into retirement early and it felt like a defeat at the time. But to this day I think that saved his life and my mom needed him.

In addition, if we do not stop long enough to honor God, we can find ourselves on a slippery slope of self-reliance. Being reliable can be a good thing. God did give us the ability to work. But it can also turn us into our own idol. If I do not stop long enough to honor Him, I can start to honor me. I sometimes think the world requires me to finish my to-do list in order for it to function. It doesn’t.

This past week my wife had a surgery to repair her hip. If you know my wife, you know that she would literally work herself into the ground to take care of the people around her. It is a beautiful thing, but it is hard on her. This procedure came a mere five years after the pain first surfaced. Five years. I can see her sit down and rest, doing exactly what the doctor ordered and it looks unusual. She is much more of an active care giver than a passive care receiver.

This also has me off work this week. I like to work, it is a good thing. I believe God guided me to this job. But I actually found myself feeling guilty for spending a Monday with my granddaughter. That’s totally on me, and it’s dumb. The weekly schedule is one thing, but a disruption that allows peace and rest and Harlee should not make me jumpy. I wrote last week that I think evil works in less than obvious ways. Extreme tests cause us to turn to God. “Normal” creeps in and consumes ground we do not realize we are losing. It tells me I need to work on this area of my life.

So, I am wrestling with this. Is the very job God gave me being used by Satan to make me feel guilty for being able to do the very thing God told me to do? Rest. I am realizing that I may be handing my enemy the weapon that is the most effective against me.

My work-rest-life balance is out of alignment. Have you evaluated yours? We should not ask our boss, we should ask our spouse, or our kids.

Is it possible to be excessively rested? Perhaps, but I do not think that is too common. Maybe just prepared for the next work that we can honor God with.

Challenge: Satan did not tell me to rest. God did. I am not going to quit my job tomorrow. But I do want to re-calibrate my schedule to honor God.

Rick Claiborn