09/07/2026
Good Monday morning. It's Labor Day, I hope you have a relaxing day.
You know rest from work is not a reward, it's a rhythm. We weren't built to go nonstop. We're not the Eveready Bunny! We need rest. So, let me say it again: rest is not a reward, rather, it's a rhythm God built into our life before we ever had a to-do list.
Think about it. God rested--and He wasn't tired. Genesis 2:2 tells us God rested on the seventh day--not because He was exhausted, but because the work was complete. He modeled something for us in resting from his work: there is a time to stop working and rest is holy. Let those two thoughts sink in. There is a time to stop working and rest is holy.
Remember when Israel was grinding it out, day after day, under Pharoah's relentless demands? God didn't just free them from work and slavery, rather, He freed them into rest. The Sabbath command to observe a day of rest wasn't a burden added to their new life, rather, it was a gift--a weekly declaration that said, "You are more than you produce." That declaration still stands.
You and I are more than we produce and resting is not a reward for our hard work, it is, or at least it should be, a rhythm of our life. Work is good. God designed us to work. But, rest is good, too! Just as we were designed to work, we were designed to rest.
If you're tired, bone-tired, consider making three simple adjustments:
First, pick a hard stop time--and keep it. Choose a time in the evening when you close the laptop, silence the notifications, close the office or shop door, and stop working. It may not feel natural, at first, but do it anyway. The work will still be there tomorrow. Your people need you and you can't be with them or help them unless you set some boundaries with your work. Find a hard stop time and keep it!
Second, schedule times of rest like you schedule meetings or certain tasks at work. Put it on your calendar. Plan to take a walk, to read a book, to have a much needed conversation. Don't let the tyranny of the urgent take precedence over the important things in life. Schedule times of rest like you do other important things in your life.
And third, practice saying this sentence: "I can't get to that right now." No need for a long explanation, just an honest, kind boundary. You just might be surprised how much freedom those 7 little words can give you. "I can't get to that right now."
Here is what I want you hear today: God is not disappointed in you for wanting and needing rest! He designed you for it. It's his gift to you. So, this week, take that walk. Close your laptop. Turn the light off in the shop. Say no to one thing so you can say yes to something that will refuel and fill you up. Rest isn't quitting. It's trusting that God knows what's best for you.
Just some thoughts to ponder on this Labor Day. God bless you, my friends.
