It’s ironic that on the day we honor labor, I’m beginning a week of vacation. Well, not really vacation since I’m going nowhere. It’s important to recognize when we need a rest from labor. Our creative souls starve for adequate rest as much as inspiration.
Even God decreed a work-rest balance. The Ten Commandments included this one: 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11)
I know, we have deadlines, marketing tasks, presentations to prepare, ad infinitum. But compared to the work God created in six days it sort of pales in significance.
All that to simply encourage you to keep working at resting. It’s the key to creativity.
Changes in Literary Agency Life since 2004
Do your work until you drop;
I think that’s for the best,
for death is gonna make you stop
when it’s time to rest.
Remember, friend, you’re like a shark
a-swimming in the ocean blue,
and you must move to make your mark,
constantly ’cause you have to
keep water flowing ‘cross
your gills
lest you drown and sink.
Action lives and stasis kills
before you even blink,
so without ceasing carry on
before you become carrion.
Thank you so very much for your post, Wendy. Interestingly, my pastor taught on the Sabbath rest at my church service yesterday. The Lord obviously wants to remind me of my need to be vigilant in balancing my work and my rest. Blessings to you!
Thank you, Wendy. I highly recommend Saundra Dalton-Smith’s book Sacred Rest. A Christian physician, she writes about seven kinds of rest. It’s fascinating.
Great reminder, Wendy! I am coming off of a summer packed with camps and finding some moments to read by myself are vital for recovering. I have finished all of the camp blogs I needed to write though, and while my own projects feel pressing, I have come to the realization that I need a day to rest before diving into them. It is so hard, but I think the quality of my work will be better for it.