The Sacred Gift of Rest

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I am Rob West. These days, too many of us are physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially overloaded. So we'll look at rest from a biblical perspective today, and then we'll take your calls at 800-525-7000.

That's 800-525-7000. This is faith and finance, biblical wisdom for your financial decisions. Well, the room to breathe that Dr. Swenson writes about is called margin. It's taking a break before you break, so to speak. For many people, there just isn't enough time or money or energy left at the end of the day to recuperate, and then everything starts again at full throttle the next day. Unfortunately, a no-margin lifestyle can have serious physical and financial consequences. Let's take sleep, for example. According to the Sleep Foundation, nearly half of people in the U.S. have trouble sleeping, and around one third of adults sleep less than seven hours each night. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to expensive health problems, including diabetes, anxiety, obesity, and heart disease. Studies show that lack of sleep deeply affects our emotional health, relationships, and decision-making, reminding us that rest isn't a luxury, but a necessary part of living wisely and well.

Perhaps you find things moving too fast in your life. Working late nights and weekends might seem necessary, but burning the candle at both ends is ultimately unproductive. You'll find that exhaustion leaves no energy for the most important things – your relationships with others and with the Lord. Now, don't get me wrong, God calls us to work for our families, for His Kingdom, and for the community. We work to pay the bills, to give, to save, and to invest.

It's part of how God made us. But work isn't all there is. We need to rest sometimes, too. You know, rest is God's idea just as much as work is. On the seventh day of creation, God rested, not because He was tired, but because His work was completed. God blessed that rest and called it holy. Later on, keeping the Sabbath holy was enshrined as one of the Ten Commandments. Like author Rich Velotes puts it, God gives us Sabbath, He gives us rest, as a gift to remind us that our standing in Christ is not based on our works. Days of rest are days where we can tell ourselves, I'm not producing anything, yet God still loves me. Technology makes it easy to work from anywhere, at any time.

But just because we can doesn't mean we should. Margin in work means getting enough rest so that you can do your job as unto the Lord with purpose and energy. Staying late at the office or skipping vacation days might make you look like a go-getter, but stress and broken relationships are a high price to pay for professional progress. Now, perhaps I need to point out that there's a difference between getting proper rest and being lazy. Laziness is choosing not to do what you're supposed to do, or only doing the minimum to get by. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells the church to warn those who are idle and disruptive. The suggestion here is that being inactive can lead to mischief. You've probably heard the saying, idle hands are the devil's workshop.

We can see this effect all over our culture. Scripture warns against idleness, masked as busyness, in 2 Thessalonians 3. Without rest, our constant activity can become aimless distraction rather than faithful work, draining our purpose and clouding our calling.

Proverbs 31 describes the noblewoman as hardworking, caring for her home, business, and the poor. Verse 27 says she does not eat the bread of idleness, showing that fruitful labor honors God, while idleness ultimately leads us into trouble. Laziness can sometimes look like spending more time on distractions, like scrolling or shopping, than on what matters most, like our relationships or the work God entrusts to us.

Proverbs 24, 30, and 31 paints the picture of a neglected field, overgrown and crumbling from despair. If you wrestle with laziness, don't run from it, bring it to Jesus. He offers not only forgiveness, but strength to live faithfully and diligently in every area of life. The good news is that God's grace meets us right where we are. Whether we're burned out from overworking or stuck in patterns of procrastination, He invites us into rhythms of grace, not guilt. Rest isn't something we earn, it's something we receive. So if you're weary, come to Jesus. His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and in Him, you'll find true rest for your soul. All right, your calls are next, the number 800-525-7000. I'm Rob West, and this is Faith and Finance. We'll be right back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .