There’s much to do, work on every hand. But we quickly become ineffective when life is all work and we don’t know how to shift into other modes of being. Without losing our strong work ethic, we must also learn to take time to play and rest.
To be sure, work is a noble burden and we don’t have to feel guilty about our drive to get things done. This is simply part of how God has designed us. But many good things can be overextended and made into an idol, and this includes our work.
Throughout Scripture we see God’s people diligent in their work, while also being commanded to take regular time off for rest and various festivals. And we need the spirit of these rhythms still today.
Work is our calling – those efforts we give our blood, sweat, and tears to bring more life and goodness into the world. Play is then those activities we do simply to delight our souls. For some, there’s a fine line between work and play, but play is distinguished by its lightheartedness and ease. We’re not trying to accomplish or produce anything per se when we’re playing.
Rest is then the time to take a break from our usual activities. While this might be physically resting, many times we need mental, social, or spiritual rest as well. Perhaps this is the soul rest that comes from spending the weekend with a friend, or spending it by ourselves in solitude.
Whatever it looks like, we must find a meaningful rhythm of work, play, and rest. Certainly, play and rest have their own many benefits, but we’re also more fruitful in our work when we find consistent rhythms between these modes of being.
In the end, work hard without forgetting to take time to play and rest. All are needed to live well.
