Working and Resting—Is it Possible?

My prior post was all about allowing the Lord to build our “house”—our hopes, our dreams and our plans for the future. But sometimes it’s hard to sit back and “take it easy.” After all we should be working, not resting, right? Lately, I’ve come to understand the principle of working and resting.We all know, either from firsthand experience or watching a TV show like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, that constructing a home takes T-I-M-E. Even on Extreme Makeover, with nearly a hundred construction workers, helpers, designers and the like, the process of constructing something from nothing takes time. Ponder this acrostic that I made up:

T hings

I mprove

M ost

E ventually

No matter what you may be waiting for, Things improve most eventually! Ever heard of “bad grammar, good gospel?” Case in point. 🙂 Everything that is of value takes TIME to grow. Ever heard the story of the Chinese bamboo tree? The moral of the story is that it takes time to see results!

Working and Resting at the Same Time

So, what should we do in the waiting? Well, there are two ways in which we can wait: passively or actively. The Bible is clear that “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). Yet works without faith is insanity! We need both. It is totally possible and doable to be working and resting at the same time! I love the book, What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a must-have for soon-to-be mamas and daddies). I just love the title. Expectation is the exact posture we need while waiting for the promise. In our expectation, we rest, but we also work.

How You Should Be Working and Resting All the Time

Right now I’m in a season of my life where I’m believing God for BIG things. But I’m not sitting around twiddling my thumbs hoping success will just fall on me! I’m “working and resting at the same time.”  I’m planning my work and working my plan, and I’m trusting God the whole way through to accomplish His plan in His timing and in His way. That, friends, is actively resting. I am not anxious, nor am I desperate. I know that in T-I-M-E, my answer will come and it will be a big, loud YES!

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Proverbs 6:6). Notice the difference between the wise ant and the foolish sluggard. Being lazy, lethargic and not on purpose leads to folly, destruction and lost hope. The ants are busy accomplishing their task FOR A SEASON and then they rest all winter. You can’t rest if you haven’t worked! So, in whatever season of life this finds you, please allow me to encourage you to actively rest in God. Pray over your plans daily, being cognizant of God’s Master plan, then work the plan. And after you’ve done all you can (praying, worshiping, putting a plan of action together, making a phone call, etc.), REST!! God’s got this!

The principle of working and resting isn’t easy to master. How about you? Do you find it easier to work or rest? Share your thoughts below.