Work hard. Rest harder.
/In our culture today, I've noticed that we tend to see over and over again the importance of being busy, and resting should only be done if you get all other obligations done.
"It keeps you going," one might say. Or, "If I'm not busy, I'd be bored." And even, "God wants me busy...it means that I'm serving Him and love Him.”
I can say this, because it's phrases I have thought before.
Work vs. Busy
I’ve recently discovered a revelation, and even though I am still learning about this, I thought I’d share what I’ve experienced thus far: Busy vs. Working.
Some of Webster’s Definition of Busy:
1: Full of activity
2: Foolishly or intrusively active
3: Full of distracting detail
Some of Webster’s Definition of Work:
1: Activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something
2: Sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result
3: The labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood
I highlight these specific words to show a contrast:
Busyness leads to distractions, intrusiveness, and foolishness
Working leads to strengthening, overcoming, and achievement.
I searched the Word of God for the difference between work and busyness...and found this story of Martha, the woman who spent all of her time cleaning and doing chores while her sister sat and listened tot he teachings of Jesus. We tend to look at Martha and judge her for being pre-occupied with other tasks instead of spending time with Jesus. I mean, she was WITH HIM...wouldn’t you stop everything if you knew Jesus was in your home?
“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." - Luke 10:40
Let me rephrase it this way that's a little more relatable:
“Christie was busy with much serving: music, teaching, work, competitions, cleaning the house, doing errands...and she approached Jesus during her 15-minute breaks (aka, driving from one event to the other) and said, “Lord, I am exhausted...don’t You care that everyone else is laughing and enjoying life while I’m serving You all alone? Tell everyone else that they are wrong in all their ‘non-doing,’ and have them come help me!”