Balancing Productivity and Rest
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As this past school year was winding down and my family and I were anticipating the arrival of summertime, I had these visions of long, lazy days with rest and too much time on our hands. It only took a couple of weeks for me to realize the reality of summer felt very different. And then it dawned on me—summer is relaxing for the kids, not the parents. Between swim team, summer camps, Vacation Bible School, and gathering with friends—each long summer day felt filled to the brim.
Productivity or rest—which one wins today?
The balancing act between productivity and rest has always been a struggle for me since I became a momma. With a baby or small child at your hip or heels all day, the short windows of possible downtime that are offered are so very precious. When my children would nap, I remember asking myself: productivity or rest? Which one wins today?
I could get a couple of loads of laundry done, clean the kitchen, organize the playroom—or I could snuggle up with a good book, lose myself in a little Netflix distraction, or catch up with a friend on the phone. When I chose productivity, I felt a bit accomplished and gave myself a little pat on the back. Look at all I was able to conquer in ninety minutes! But as soon as I would hear the stirring of my waking child, I would recoil a bit, knowing my opportunity for rest had passed.
When I chose rest, the world would quiet for just a bit. My strivings to get ahead, to get it all done, would stop for just a moment. I would pour a cup of coffee, soak up the silence, and revel in the fact that I could choose whatever I wanted to do for the next glorious 45-90 minutes. And then, as that child or children awoke and my time of rest had ended, I’d look up with a little regret, see all that had gone unaccomplished, and feel a wave of guilt. Rest won. Productivity lost.
The best and truest kind of rest is productive.
Now that my girls are a bit more grown—ages 12, 8, and 6—there are more pockets of rest available. They don’t need minute-by-minute supervision that seemed to be my life for so long. They are able to engage in activities that hold their attention for longer than five minutes, as well as retreat to their rooms for “alone time” when needed. Yet, as the seasons have moved on, I’ve realized that I had it all wrong for many years. Productivity and rest are not mutually exclusive. I had one pitted against the other—when reality isn’t that way.
The best and truest kind of rest is so very productive. We are finite beings with limitations and physical needs. While much can be accomplished in a day, both our minds and our bodies are hardwired for rest. It isn’t a weakness—it is the way we were designed. In this culture of “hustle,” it is a true struggle to both acknowledge and submit to our need for rest. We are praised for our busyness, often wearing our exhaustion as a badge of honor for how much we have accomplished. Our over-scheduled lives validate our importance and status in the world. Who has time for rest?
God Almighty, the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things, rested.
Rest is spoken of from the very beginning in the Bible:
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Gen. 2:2-3)
God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega, the sovereign creator and sustainer of all things—rested. Unlike his creation, God doesn’t tire. He doesn’t need rest like we do. Yet, he saw fit to rest from the work of his creation. He spoke all that exists into being, saw that it was good, and set a day aside to rest from labor. He calls us to do the same.
By our willingness to rest, we also acknowledge that Jesus has already achieved the ultimate work for us on the cross.
There is a whole day of each week, the Lord’s Day, which we are called to set aside to be different than the other days of the week:
to stop all of the hustle, striving, and productivity to worship the one who gives us all that we have;
to take one day, intentionally gather with him and his people and be reminded of who we are and where we are going;
to be reminded of why we work and what we are called to accomplish by our work;
to refocus where our identity is to be found;
to look at the work of our hands from that week, call it good, and rest.
Sundays are my very favorite day of the week for this reason. But no matter how wonderful that day is, Monday always awaits. Our sabbath here on earth points us to the ultimate sabbath rest we will experience in heaven. It is a foretaste of what is to come, a reminder of the glorious and complete rest that awaits.
By our willingness to rest we not only fuel ourselves to press on, but we also acknowledge by our actions that we don’t have to work ourselves to the bone. Jesus has already achieved the ultimate work for us on the cross. Our end is secure. Our striving can cease.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Heb. 4:9-11)
To my fellow exhausted pilgrims, resting is one of the most productive things you can do by faith, as it sustains us until we are called home.
This article was originally published on August 24, 2022.
