Balancing Productivity with Rest

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Today, I am grateful for the divine balance of rest coupled with productivity. Both of these states, fully expressed, can bring us joy in life.

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Productivity is an avenue for skill, purpose and/or passion to express itself. When we have productivity in life, our mental and physical faculties are exercised and there is a peculiar joy in the activity of productivity that can be like no other.

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"In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty."
(Proverbs 14:23 NKJV)

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And yet, when we rest, we rejuvenate, and our bodies and minds get to be restored. There are even some healing qualities that can be released into our biological systems when we rest and sleep.

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"It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep."
(Psalm 127:2 NKJV)

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With the right balance, we find there can be joy experienced in both productivity and rest.

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I don't always balance these two dynamics appropriately.  But, when I do, I notice a marked difference in my outlook on life and my stamina for the journey ahead.

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It's easy to think we've got to be going "24/7" (pounding the pavement or on the grind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), but then we would wear ourselves thin by pressing too hard in the natural, and burnout!

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Just as our phones and devices have to be set aside and recharged, likewise our spiritual, mental and physical lives need the same.

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In practical terms, that may mean you give yourself 6-8 hours of sleep, and/or periodic breaks in a day. Or maybe you plan vacations, or "stay-cations", personal retreats, and recreation. For you, this may be the leisure you need. This is also exercising the principle of Sabbath in practical, personal ways. Find space, either in a day or in a week,  where you can "turn off".

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I'm encouraged by this text that reminds us that it's not all done in our own effort, but it is by the agency of God's grace and God's Spirit empowering our journey!

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"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6 RSV)

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So, one healthy approach in your own life can be to use this Prayer of Affirmation. I invite you to say it:

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"God, I thank you for THIS day! Give me the strength to do what is set before me today, and help me to accomplish the purpose that you've placed upon my life. You give me the grace to do all that I can this day, and you enable me to release all that is not for me to do today, as I trust in your guidance and sustenance in my life! I am where I am supposed to be, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and enjoying the present moment that I've been blessed with. Thank you God-in-me."

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~Jason Powell

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