For me, taking time to rest is a struggle. I like to be busy and do things. These last couple of weekends I have been very busy with a couple of projects. I started early in the morning and went late into the evening. I like to stay busy. But sometimes, we need to rest. It is good for our body, our mind, and our spirit. There is a balance between work and rest that I am still trying to find.
It is good to take time away, to be still, and to rest, but some people seem to do a lot of this and don’t actually do very much work. They get started on something and it starts to get hard and they decide they need to get away and “rest”. Some people never even seem to get started. They talk about it so much they are exhausted from thinking about it and stop to rest.
On the other side of this are the people that work all the time and never take time to be still and rest. They work hard, but they are empty inside. Sometimes It seems they think if they would just work a little harder, they will somehow get filled up and satisfied. They move from project to project trying to find that fulfillment through their work.
Then there are the people like me. We are busy all the time, but never seem to get anything done. I am too busy to take time to rest, yet I never really seem to finish anything. I think about the projects a lot. I start work on the projects and spend a lot of time on it, but very little seems to actually happen. That is a discipline problem that I am working on and have come a long way. But being still and resting is something that I still struggle with.
After two weekends of working a lot (and actually getting things done), I decided to take a weekend off. I still managed to get some work done around the house, but I spent time with family this weekend. I also spent some time reading and thinking. It was much needed for me.
I read a quote a few weeks ago that really struck me.
Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.
A lot of times I am doing nothing and think I am being still and resting. But the reality is I am really just doing nothing. For me, when I am just doing nothing I come away more frustrated than fulfilled. Being still is actually a somewhat active activity. True rest is not sitting on the couch and watching a movie. It is not taking a nap, though sometimes that may be part of it. Being still is reading, praying, and spending time in thought and listening to what God has to say to you. Being still is getting filled up on the inside. When I take a nap, I am often more tired when I get up than before the nap. When I am still, I come away being more energized and excited about life. I come away with a deeper love for my wife, my family and for God.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Take some time this week to be still. To stop and listen. Then get up and get some work done.
You are in the busiest season of life. Once your children are raised, you will find the steady balance you seek. For now, you are on a balance board getting plenty of exercise as your kids keep you tilting this way and that. But as long as you don’t fall off and crash, though you may wobble—your balancing!