The truth is that in order to maintain a work-life balance, we need to work that life balance because it does not happen spontaneously.  It requires that you allow and give yourself permission to rest, to relax, refresh and, or recuperate.  When you search the words: “Work-life balance,” what you find is answers that speak to the prioritizing between your work and your personal life, but what I want you to know that the most important balance needs to be achieved with self.  The truth is that if you are balanced then you are able to make sober decisions about which tasks are important when as far as work and your personal life is concerned.

How do I then balance myself? The answer to that is through REST

The truth is so many of us do not know how to take timeout to rest and to refresh our bodies, but also our spiritual lives. The Bible speaks about labouring to enter into the rest in Hebrews 4:9 -11 KJV "There remainth therefore a rest for the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall under the same example of unbelief."  

This unbelief that Paul is writing about in the book of Hebrews is the unbelief of the people of Israel when they did not believe God’s report of a promised land in Numbers 13-14. Entering into God’s rest is our portion as His children, and so if God found it necessary to rest on the seventh day, we also need to be purposeful about taking our time of rest, and fighting to make sure that you take that timeout for your body and also your spirit.

What is rest? And where and how do I find it?

The answer to that is in Hebrews 4:9-11, and it says that rest is ceasing from works and that in order for it to happen we need to labour for it, we need to fight for it and we need to be intentional and purposeful about it, we are always so busy serving others, our communities, our colleagues, friends and family, our children, husband or wife and as your cup runs over we are not purposeful to fill it back up again.

In order for there to exist a harmony between your work commitments and your personal life, i.e. family, friends, etc., we need to be intentional about taking a timeout from both. Yes, I said it, taking a timeout from both, because the key to having harmony between work commitments and your personal life is a balanced you.  A balanced you is well rested you.

And by the way, rest does not only mean sleeping, rest is for your body but, also you need rest for your spirit, rest can mean reading a book, rest can mean prayer and meditation, rest can mean reading the Bible, rest can mean a weekend away with self, taking yourself out for coffee, but however rest looks like for you, you need to be intentional about it.  And that is how we achieve that balance between work and our personal lives and we are able to serve both joyfully.

Happy Resting!