“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 8:15
This past week, I was able to take off work and travel to Marietta, GA to spend time with my sister and her family. I don’t get to see them much, maybe once or twice a year, so I definitely make family time with them a priority when I can.
By day 4 of my week long vacation, I knew then how much I truly needed time away from work.
While I love working and having the ability to work, family and rest are essential.
Even God Most High rested after he created the world.
Throughout the Gospels, you can see that Jesus rested. Yes he worked, served, made time for people and yet He still often rested.
Many people find satisfaction in the hustle and grind of everyday life. Always working, barely living and hardly resting. But rest is worship. Time with family is worship. We are called to do just that.
Make time for your parent(s), spouse or partner, kid(s), siblings and even friends. If you have any extended family that you enjoy being around, make time for them as well. I’ve been guilty of being more in my own world and less in the world of those that God gave me, but my new mindset of freedom and the desires that God has given me keeps me focused on what truly matters.
By the end of my vacation, I truly appreciated and enjoyed my sister’s presence and spending time with her kids. Of course they are typical teenagers, so they spent a good amount of time in their rooms lol, but we still had our moments.
While there, I attended and celebrated my niece’s high school graduation, went around town to a few shopping stores and mainly just hung out with my family and my brother in-law’s family as well. We didn’t do a whole lot, but what we did do was enough for me. Cooked with family, movie nights (that some of us fell asleep on lol), up all night decorating the dining room, and I even tried playing a video game that I completely failed at and gave up LOL.
Overall, it was taking time off from work to just be there spending time with them when I know I don’t get to often. That was good for my soul.
Work to Live not Live to Work
I got the above phrase from a TV show that I watch called Emily in Paris. A Parisian man on the show said, “You Americans live to work. We Parisians work to live”. I was convinced then that I want to live like the French. Enjoying the simple things in life and not making it all about work.
Take time for yourself, your family and most importantly God and the mission of Christ.
Of course we need to work and it’s good to work, but if we don’t take time to rest, we won’t be good for no one, not even ourselves. And also, what is a life worth living if you don’t enjoy it? God wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, not just labor and don’t enjoy the results of our hard work.
At the end of your life, all you have worked for will not go with you. Your money. material possessions etc. will stay behind and might not last, but the memories and experiences you leave with your family will.
There is a quote that I carry around in my checkbook that states: Money is a resource that lets you have choices, but if you don’t think about what you are working for, you will die rich but not live rich.
Do you work to just pay bills and die? Do you work to gain material things that you might not need? Do you work just to say you got it? Or do you work to become financially free in the future? Do you work to gain generational wealth? Do you work to be more generous with the less fortunate?
Whatever your purpose and reasoning is to work, still make time to rest your body and mind and make time for your family. Your family won’t be here forever neither will your body. Take care of both and give them what they need. God will bless you for it.
Thank you for reading and I’ve been working on some new content and is looking forward to getting back to my biweekly schedule.
See below for pictures of the graduation celebration night and follow my Instagram for encouraging posts and short videos.
Monique ST
Bonus! One of my favorite worship songs.
I do not own the rights to this song or video.
I love you so much, we also had a great time spending with you both. I really need to take what you said about taking time to rest and not over work yourself I’m to consideration. Because all I do is work, and body is starting to feel it..
Love you too sis! And yes you do work consistently all the time. It is essential to rest and enjoy life.