Why We Should Rest Even When We Are Busy

Release your guilt. Taking a rest doesn’t make you lazy. It makes you like Jesus. 

Choosing to rest doesn’t mean you’ve finished all your work either so don’t wait until it’s done before you rest. When Jesus took time to rest, He still had work to do. People still needed Him. He still had places to be and still had miles to walk. Yet, Jesus made the choice to still Himself, to rest. 

He prayed. He went away by Himself. He napped. He took a break in the middle of the day.

Think about this. What if His workload was precisely why He chose to rest? What if He took that nap or went away by Himself to pray so He could do the work? What if taking that rest allowed Him to continue the work from a place of restoration rather than from a place of exhaustion?

What if you did the same?

You and I both know that the quality of our own work, the way we treat our kids or partner, and even how we think about ourselves changes significantly when our approach is from a place of exhaustion. It’s not pretty or productive or life-giving for anyone.

But when we rest in Him and walk towards our work, our relationships, ourselves, we carry with us His restorative power. So, go ahead and take that nap. If Jesus found time to take one, then you can, too. Choose to approach your work and your relationships from a place of restoration as if you are both serving and representing Him. Because you are. 

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23

Need more rest? Join the club.

Well, it’s not an actual club with a free secret decoder ring, but you will receive a digital download of my 4-Day Devotional, Simplifying Rest, as a free gift. Plus, the 4th of each month I’ll send you 4 resources to help you get the rest you need. YES! I need more rest!