In the midst of his summer vacation, Pope Benedict XVI cautioned followers against the spiritual dangers of overwork:
During his traditional weekly appearance to bless the faithful, Benedict quoted from writings of St. Bernard in the 12th century meant for the popes of his time on the subject of overwork.Benedict quoted the saint as advising pontiffs to “watch out for the dangers of an excessive activity, whatever … the job that you hold, because many jobs often lead to the ‘hardening of the heart,’ as well as ‘suffering of the spirit, loss of intelligence.’”
“That warning is valid for every kind of work, even those involved in the governing of the church,” 79-year-old Benedict said.
Yet according to Take Back Your Time, an organization contending that our culture of overwork diminishes our quality of life, American workers aren’t very good at taking vacation:
One in four workers plans to work while on vacation this year.Workers are expected to give back 574 million vacation days this year.
The number of vacation days employees are skipping this year increased by one over last year.
And the Conference Board reported that only 39% of American families are taking a week-long vacation this summer.
While most of us are aware of the economic and professional reasons for less vacation time, the spiritual need for rest is often overlooked. How easily we forget that God rested and commanded the Israelites (and us) to rest, or that Jesus regularly took quiet time away from the hectic pace of his ministry. Have you found time for vacation this summer? Are you managing to balance work and rest in your life?
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August 24, 2006 at 10:51
Proverbs 10:22(AMP) – The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].
It’s difficult to rest when we have needs. We need to meet deadlines. We need to fill quotas. We need to pay bills. We need to get things done. Therefore, we feel the pressure to work harder and harder.
Nonetheless, God has blessed His people with the ability to live well without working ourselves to death. His blessing can increase our productivity and we have to be willing to rest in it.
It’s hard to take a break when we feel the pressures of life’s responsibilities. Nonetheless, God will take care of us and we have to trust His Word. It’s good to work hard but we must know when we’re getting diminishing returns.
August 24, 2006 at 12:58
There’s a reason why God commanded us to rest, as he did, on the 7th day. We are in fact MORE productive if we take adequate time to take a step back from the daily bustle and reflect/pray/meditate/relax. It’s not like needing to rest is weakness either, our bodies are designed that way.
August 24, 2006 at 13:31
One word: Sabbath
God knew we needed a time to rest. If not for ourselves, definitly to meditate on Him and what He had done.
Since the beginning of creation there was intended to be a time of rest. Whether or not you feel convicted to observe the Sabbath or not there is a natural, God-given need to take some rest. To stop touching work and to allow your body, your mind, and your soul…to just chill.
I remember reading somewhere, I can’t remember now, about how God never intended us to work ourselves to death. It mentioned a lot of the great missionaries and preachers of the past who in their fervor to reach people neglected their body and their needs and in the end died of sickness or heat stroke, etc and then the author asked the question “How many more people could they have reached had they not died?”
and people always say “They were men of God. They couldn’t die before their time. Their life was in the Lord’s hands…”
And I argue back, they were men. They were no perfect than you or I. It is possible to end your life before God would like it to end. And if you work yourself, even for Him, beyond what your body can handle you’ll suffer consequences that He never intended you to suffer.