by Larry Magnuson
Could we have bought into a lie?
“When we treat workaholics as heroes we express a belief that labor rather than contemplation is the wellspring of great ideas and that the success of individuals and companies is measured by their long hours.”
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Recently I was given a book by one of our alumni entitled Rest, with the subtitle “Why you get more work done when you rest.”. It’s author, Alex Pang, builds an incredible case for the importance of rest, not from a religious or biblical perspective but rather from a historical and scientific one. It is worth the time to read.
Like many of you, I was taught the value of hard work. It is something for which I am incredibly grateful. But as I pondered Pang’s book, I was even more deeply convicted of the fact that hard work that is not balanced equally with healthy rest can become a personal liability rather than an asset.
I was amazed that many of the most influential people across the ages in all realms of life, from science, literature, business, and politics, had very disciplined and regular times of rest. In fact, Pang makes it clear that healthy rest has been as essential to “success” as has hard work.
Consider these four key principles:
- Work and rest are partners.
- Rest is active, not passive.
- Rest is a natural skill that needs to be developed (second only to breathing).
- Rest stimulates and maintains creativity.
Rest was built into the very fabric of life when God rested from creation on the seventh day. Jesus clearly modeled rest during his earthly ministry. Remember his words to his disciples after a particularly intense time of ministry, “Come away with me to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31 The topic of healthy rest is found throughout the pages of scripture. If God values rest, then shouldn’t we?
To value hard work without equally valuing healthy, regular rest is to ‘buy the lie.’
Here are some of the concrete ways to find healthy rest according to Pang (interestingly they are all things we talk about and value at SonScape):
- Take a walk! (I loved this quote from philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, “I have walked myself into some of my best thoughts.”)
- Take a nap! (Winston Churchill napped daily even during his days as Prime Minister during WWII. He inspired Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson to do the same.)
- Exercise, and make it fun!
- Use your vacation days and holidays WELL!
- Practice DEEP play!
Don’t buy the lie. Value and improve your rest!!