I used to be really good at resting.

I rock climbed, mountain biked, went running.  I went to movies, read books, relaxed at home.  Then I got a job!  It became a lot harder when I was no longer a student.

Add to that that pressures of family life – marriage and children – and it’s even harder to rest at all, much less daily, weekly, yearly and beyond.

So how do you carve that out and protect it?

We asked Jerry, a friend of RTC and a business owner, how he does it.

Be sure to catch his interview on video or audio.

For Jerry, maintaining daily, weekly and less frequent rhythms of rest is a witness to others – they know when your store is closed, and it says something about the values of the family behind the business.   It also teaches his family what’s important to him and his wife.  They are not just about money, there is much more to their life.

Challenge: Find at least four other people in your line of work, and ask them how they handle their need for rest, leisure and restoration.  Ask them how that looks on a weekly basis, and throughout the year.  Then ask them to keep you accountable.

Ryan Sim - August 17, 2015

Monday - A New Idea - We Need Rest

Years ago, I started my own business in web hosting, when that was a newish industry. I was studying in university at the same time, and had always been able to do both, until a server crashed during midterms. I didn't let either midterms or my clients drop, I simply gave up sleep. It finally caught up with me, and I had to get out of my room and went for a late night walk. I eventually stumbled into a church, exhausted and scared that my business might not recover. I remember the minister listening, then suggesting, "get some rest…then consider, maybe God is trying to tell you something." I returned ready to solve my problems. I moved all the customers I could to one server. I ordered new server, then there was nothing I could do but wait. I could only rest. I felt completely different when I woke up. I could study, I could write papers, I could think, I could fix the problems that caused the crash. Rest is important! An estimated 3.3 million Canadians age 15 or older have problems getting enough sleep, which may be affecting their health and quality of life. A magazine of internal medicine summarized their research. The bottom line is: “sleep serves as an indicator of health and quality of life" Lack of rest leads to more tension, depression, fatigue and marital strain, at least for women, according to one study of 1,500 women in rural Wisconsin. And one medical publication found Middle-aged men who were at high risk of heart disease 50% less likely to die of a heart attack over nine years if they took frequent vacations. We need rest, and we’re not just going to look at physiological reasons, but theological. That our need for rest comes from God himself. Question: When was your longest stretch of sustained work with no day off? How did it impact you?

From Series: "Work and Rest"

Just in time for summer's blend of work and rest, Redeem the Commute is starting a new series of daily challenges to help busy people restore life to the commuting lifestyle. This seven week series will look at the meaning and purpose of work, rest, and ancient practices that have helped followers of Jesus to keep the two in perspective and balance for centuries.

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