Take Time To Not Just Work

Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva

​Life has become even more demanding in our present day, hasn't it?

According to the China Youth Daily, 600,000 Chinese die each year from working too hard—or about 1,600 a day as reported by the China Radio International. Causes of such death were said to include heart attack and stroke due to stress.

If not taken into concern, the same might just happen to any other country. In Canada, a staggering 89% reported feeling overworked according to a global research firm, Towers Watson.

Hard work is no nonsense. But it becomes nonsensical if you work yourself too hard for a living… only to compromise your life in the end. You see, life is not just about striving for something and being successful, or about working and earning. Life, in all its worth, is more than just that.

It is also about taking a time off. Jesus cared to remind His disciples of this in the midst of their busyness--

“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31b)

Jesus knew that it is no good for man to work himself to exhaustion. That every one of us needs rest. That if we work too long without it, we’d all be physically and emotionally drained.
 

1. So stop. To rest. Don’t wait until your body tells you to. Do yourself a favor by taking a simple nap, an extra hour of sleep, a day off, or, from time to time, an escapade.
2. Stop. To relate. Don’t get too lost in your busy world that you forget to connect with your loved ones. They also need your love and affection--not just your provision. And, believe me, you need them, too—to keep you grounded in this busy world. 
3. Stop. To reflect. In your pursuit of the many things you dream of in life, you could lose yourself in the middle of your chase. Don't lose yourself in the process of living. Have time to reflect back on your purpose in life, your values, your motivations, your beliefs.
4. Stop. To rest in AND with God. Leave all your worries to the God who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). You can only find true rest if you let go of the things you so worry about. And just like with His disciples, He also wants you to rest with Him. 

The rest He offers is the kind that will renew you of strength, refill you with joy—not just for a day, but for as long as you let Him.

So take His invitation, and rest. You’ll be glad you did.
 
“…for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:10-11)