One hand full of rest is better than two hands full of work and trying to catch the wind.” [Ecclesiastes 4:6 NLV]
Today’s world is so fast-paced, it’s hard to keep up. People work incredibly long days. Our appointment books are full. We rush from one thing to the next. Mums too, run children from school to different after school activities and then eventually home. I feel exhausted just thinking about it.
When it comes down to it, why do we feel it so necessary to cram so much into our lives. Is it so we can one day sit back with money to spare? Is it so we can feel popular? Is it so we can boast about our achievements? Or is it so we can avoid spending time thinking about how meaningless life is? Because, according to Solomon who wrote the above verse, it is all chasing after the wind.
Photo by http://www.alifarid.com
Don’t get me wrong. Work and all of those other activities have their place, but there needs to be a balance. That’s why God created the Sabbath way back at the creation of the earth. We need a day to rest, to stop all of our chasing the wind and relax, fellowship with the Lord and other people. The greatest value in life is the quality time we spend with loved ones and friends.
Of course, as people who have accepted Jesus as our Saviour, we have a perpetual sabbath rest in our soul, but we still need the physical rest. We need to take time to fellowship with the Lord. And we need the fellowship of other people. I encourage you today, to make sure you put time aside in your busy schedule to rest and be with people you love.
Question: Do you feel guilty when you take time out for yourself? What can you do to make your down-time more valuable?
Romancing The Rock 
This is something I struggle with all the time. What exactly does it look like for me to take time out for myself?
It is a struggle, Theresa, but something worth working on I think. 🙂
I usually feel guilty after taking time out for myself and overcompensate by working harder! But I have learnt that if I use my time out time wisely, I feel a lot better. So instead of lying around and watching TV all day, if I go for a walk in the bush (exercise, tick!), or read a good book (stretching my brain, tick!), or spend some time sewing or cooking or tidying if I feel like it, I feel a lot better because I’ve done something that I enjoy but isn’t accompanied by the ‘Oh I just wasted a day’ feeling.
If I do think I’ll end up wasting most of the day doing not much, I try to do 2 small useful things first thing in the morning. Such as doing the dishes and baking some muffins. Then instead of telling my husband I did ‘nothing’ all day, I can say ‘oh, I did the dishes, and I made some muffins!’. Sounds much better 😉
There’s also a lot of value in just spending time (even doing nothing) relaxing with the people you love. Though it can feel like wasted time, I believe that is the least wasteful thing we can do, because in the end our relationships are the only thing that may survive into the hereafter.