By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. – Genesis 2:2 (Net)
All my life, I had always read the verse in Genesis as “and on the 7th day He rested” and in my head I always understood that God must have rested on the 7th day because He had just finished creating the entire universe, so of course God would rest. Making everything in existence is a big job! He definitely needs to take a breather. It was not until recently that I finally realized the reason why God rested.
Not only do I write for EFK but I also own a small pet food company that I am building from the ground up. It is busy and I try to work at it every day. After all, I am my own weakest link. After working hard for three weeks straight, managing my time well so that I enjoy every day of work, I walked past my bed and thought to myself “What I’d give to be sick and justify sitting in bed.” I did not think this because I was on the verge of burn out or truly drained. I was just physically tired and wanted to sit in bed. However, since I knew that I only needed to do admin / computer work and nothing physical, I continued to work. Two days later I got sick and was forced to sit in bed all day. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the forced vacation, but while sitting in bed I started laughing because I finally understood Genesis 2:2. God did not rest because he was tired. He did not rest because He was on the verge of burn out. No, God rested because He is perfect, and is the perfect example for us. The rest was to show us that it is good to rest, relax, and reflect on all the work you have done. Even Ecclesiastes talks about the importance of enjoying the toils in your life and taking time to reflect on all the progress that you have made. Sometimes resting is not meant to recuperate, it is about ceasing to work, and being at peace. To go to God in thankfulness and say, “Hey, look at all that I’ve accomplished with your help. I’m happy. Thank you for giving me the strength and wisdom to get here. I’m excited to continue working tomorrow, but today I am going to stop working.” Because that’s what God did, he just stopped working for the day.
Why is this a discipline? Well, for somebody like me, especially being a business owner, I know that I can’t make progress without work. And if I still have the energy to work in a different capacity than what is currently tired, I’ll do that instead. Like doing a leg workout instead of chest since you’re still sore. So, I need to have the discipline to tell myself, “It is okay to take stop working, even if you’re not total exhausted. One day of not working, will not set you far behind. In fact, it may make you more productive because you’ve spent time meditating with Him.” Thus, do not be afraid to take time to stop working even if you have the energy to work in a different capacity. Instead, look back and enjoy the work you’ve done and know that you are following God’s example.
There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him. – Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 (Net)