Allow me to sound like a Debbie Downer for a moment and state that this life can get pretty overwhelming (and sometimes depressing) when we do nothing but work. When we are constantly on the go, living this fast-paced life, and never stopping even for a moment to rest and appreciate our surroundings, we truly are depriving ourselves of a lot of the beauty and enjoyment life has to offer.
It is so easy to become impeded in this fast-paced life we all live, to run and push ourselves until we collapse from sheer exhaustion only to rest for a moment and repeat that same arduous cycle. Why do we do that to ourselves? To get “there” (wherever “there” is)? What happens when we get whatever it is we’re working so hard to obtain? When we get that new job, promotion, degree, or whatever, would that really make our lives easier; or would we still have to work just as hard and be just as exhausted as when we first began?
I want clarify something: I am not saying that hard work is pointless or that setting and reaching goals is not a good thing. However, I am saying that there is more to life than that occupation. Work to achieve whatever it is God has given you to do, but don’t ever lose sight of the most important things in life, and don’t lose who you are in the process either.
You will not find your identity in an occupation, so don’t let an occupation dictate your entire life. Do not let some goal cause you to become so exhausted that you feel like you are merely running on fumes, barely making it from one day to the next.
I suppose what I am saying is this: take time to stop and smell the flowers, to pause and admire the sunset, to slow down and rest. Find something you enjoy doing that allows you to lose yourself for a moment, and let your mind take break.
You don’t have to feel quite so overwhelmed all of the time. You can rest, and I mean really rest—not just pass out from unmitigated exhaustion only to wake up and feel like you never even slept. Take a break, and remember what’s important. Never forget that God loves you, and He will always give you everything you need—including rest. Stop for a moment and smell the flowers. Take a second to appreciate everything in life; you have earned it.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]”
Matthew 11:28 AMPC
