He May “Never Slumber nor Sleep” but He Does Rest!
As a coach, I frequently interact with individuals and couples who are on a journey to rid themselves of debt. This should come as no surprise to anybody considering 57% of Americans cannot cover a $1000 emergency with savings according to Fortune. Many people slide into debt over a long period as a result of compounded decisions. As a result, we often review Proverbs 6:1-5 as the framework for getting out of debt. Allow no sleep to your eyes, no sleep to your eyelids becomes the motto. Why? Because idleness for many is what sets the trap that ensnares us. As a result, we resort to busyness in an attempt to break free. There is a better way, however, we must peruse what Benjamin Franklin describes as Industry – the art of always being employ’d in something useful; cutting off all unnecessary actions.
More often than not, the art of industry is a behavior and mindset that must be learned and drilled over a lifetime. In many cases, we confuse busyness for industriousness. We can be busy with noble intentions, but the fruit of that busyness is hopelessness and burnout from shear exhaustion. Our penchant for busyness has us focusing on valuable endeavors, but rarely the endeavors that are exclusively focused on the mission at hand. Busyness has us jumping from one opportunity to the next, never building up enough efficiency to realize the full potential of the current opportunity.
What is one way we can focus on industry as a virtue to beat back busyness and make progress? Make time for rest! With respect to paying of debt, is the concept of rest in conflict with Proverbs 6:1-5? I don’t think so. Remember that a proverb, as defined by Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, is a well-known phrase or sentence that gives advice or says something that is generally true. Solomon is trying to encourage all of us to move responsibly and quickly to resolve our debts to avoid trouble. The same man also wrote Psalm 127:1-2. Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves. The same LORD who “builds the house” is attributed with never slumbering nor sleeping (Psalms 121:3), also took time to rest on the seventh day after creation (Genesis 2:2). Rest is a gift, which allows us to experience His grace and love. Rest is essential for our well-being so our body and mind are refreshed and restored to produce energy and creativity, which yields industrious behaviors! Ultimately, rest produces restoration and freedom!
Questions to Ponder
In what ways are you or have you produced a season of busyness?
Does your busyness conflict with your personal or family goals?
How can you turn your season of busyness into a lifetime of industry?
Do you believe your current financial goals exclude your body and mind’s need for rest? Why or why not?
If you believe rest is important, what safeguards do you need to put into place to avoid drifting into idleness?
To pursuing your financial goals with meaningful rest and industriousness.