MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
June 12, 2006

FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND REST

By: Rick Boxx

In the business and professional world, we often discuss and hear about the importance of a strong work ethic. We place high value in someone who is willing to work diligently and, if necessary, put in extra time to complete important assignments. But is there ever a point where this focus on work ethic is overdone?

Have you ever dealt with a workload so large you felt your only hope was to work harder and longer? Then, after staying late and pouring yourself into the projects, you came back to work the next day only to find your pile of responsibilities had grown even bigger? Day after day you fight these battles until you finally reach the level exhaustion, utter frustration – or both.

Many of the troubled business owners who ask us to consult with them experience these feelings. They start off believing that if they just exert themselves harder, with more determination, they can dig their way out of the overwhelming load of work they are facing. However, instead of reducing this pressure, the workload only becomes larger. It’s like having a hole in your pocket: no matter how much money you put in it, nothing remains in it. The money keeps slipping through.

God designed our bodies to require sleep and rest. We may be able to push ourselves to the limit of our capacities for a while, but eventually it will take its toll; the result will be not only in a lack of productivity, but also physical exhaustion. Over the years I have discovered that God not only desires us to rest, but He also will see to it that our work gets accomplished – if we are working on the right priorities.

Psalm 127:1-2 emphasizes this concept: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

If your work seems endless, and sometimes unfruitful, it might be beneficial to re-examine what you are working on – and how you are approaching this work. Is the Lord building it, or are you? Are you getting enough rest? A lesson I have learned through personal experience is that God’s plan is the best plan. When He is doing the building, right at the center of our goals and endeavors, our work will get done. And this work will be achieved even as we take time for an appropriate amount of rest.

So if you have convinced yourself that the secret to business success is working harder and longer, sacrificing whatever is necessary – even adequate rest to restore yourself physically, or sufficient time to develop and maintain rewarding relationships – I would advise you to reconsider. Is the return on your labor really worth the magnitude of what it will cost you personally, socially and perhaps, over the long term, even professionally?

Work is good. God ordained it. We should do it to the best of our ability. Work is one way of being good stewards of our abilities, talents and gifts. However, work taken to excess is counterproductive and can carry negative consequences. So consider this advice: Take time to relax and enjoy life the way God intended – work in balance with an adequate amount of rest and leisure activities.

(Copyright 2006, Integrity Resource Center, Inc.) Adapted with permission from "Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx," a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. For more information about receiving Integrity Moments in their e-mail box, write to: rboxx@IntegrityMoments.com and type "subscribe" in the subject line or visit his website, www.IntegrityResource.org.

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Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. How would you describe your personal work ethic? What does your typical workweek look like: When do you arrive at work, when do you leave?

2. We all have encountered “workaholics” in the workplace. Perhaps you are one. Why do you think it is so easy for people to become absorbed, even controlled, by their work?

3. What do you think of the passage from the psalm that states, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late…”? Do you agree that this passage should be applied consistently to how we approach our everyday work responsibilities? Why or why not?

4. Do you believe that you are able to incorporate sufficient time in your typical day or workweek for rest and leisure activities? If you do, how do you accomplish this? If not, what steps do you think you could take to achieve a better work/rest balance in your life?


NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to look at some other passages that deal with the balance of work and rest, consider the following:

Proverbs 6:9-10, 10:5; Ecclesiastes 4:5-7, 5:12; Colossians 3:17, 23



週一嗎哪
服事全球工商界
2006.6.12
找到工作與休息的平衡點

在工商專業界，我們常討論與聽聞有關工作倫理的重要性。我們給予願意辛勤工作，且若有需要願意加班完成重要任務者極高的評價。但我們是否過度強調這種工作倫理？

你所處理的工作量是否大到，只能希望自己更努力，且有更多時間工作？然後在熬夜盡力完成這企劃後，第二天回到辦公室，發現你的責任更大了！日復一日你不斷打拼，直到你最後精疲力竭，徹底洩氣。

許多來找我們諮詢的企業主都經歷過這種感覺。起先他們相信若自己更努力、更有決心，就可處理所有撲天蓋地而來的工作量。然而壓力沒有減少，工作只有變得更多。就像口袋裡有一個破洞，無論你放入多少錢，一塊錢也不會留下，錢不斷地掉出來。

神當初設計我們的身體是需要睡眠和休息。我們可能可以把自己推到極限一段時間，但最後一定會造成傷害。結果不只是缺乏生產力，身體也會受損。經過這些年來，我發現神不僅要我們休息，祂也要我們完成工作－－若我們工作的優先順序正確。

詩篇127篇1-2節就強調這觀念：「若不是耶和華建造房屋，建造的人就枉然勞力；若不是耶和華看守城池，看守的人就枉然儆醒。你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；惟有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。」

若你的工作似乎永無止盡，而且有時似乎沒有果效，你最好重新檢視你所做的工作－－以及你如何處理這工作。是主在建造它，或者是你在建造？你是否得到足夠的休息？我從個人的經驗中學到，神的計畫最好。當祂建造時，一定命中目標的核心，我們的工作就能完成。即使我們花適當的時間去休息，這項工作一定能即時完成。

所以，若你認為事業成功的祕訣在於更努力工作，工作時間更長，犧牲一切－－甚至使身體恢復精力的休息，或發展並維持人際關係的時間。那麼我要勸你重新思考，你努力的成果真的值得你付上那麼多個人健康、人際關係，甚至長期下來專業上的代價嗎？

工作是好的，神也命令我們要工作。我們應盡己所能將它作好。工作是我們管理運用自己能力、天份與恩賜的一種方式。然而工作過度是反生產力，且會帶來負面結果。所以，請思想這忠告：花時間去放鬆，並享受神要我們享受的生命－－以適當的休息與休閒活動來平衡工作。

思想 / 討論題目

1. 你會如何形容自己的工作倫理？ 你平常的工作情形如何：每天幾點上下班？

2. 在職場中我們都遇過「工作狂」，可能你就是其中之一。你認為為何人很容易被工作佔據，甚至控制？

3. 詩篇說：「若不是耶和華建造房屋，建造的人就枉然勞力…你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然…」。你對此經文有何看法？你是否同意這經節應該運用到我們每天的工作中？ 為什麼？

4. 你是否能每天或每週安排出足夠的休息和休閒活動？ 若能，你是如何作到的？ 若不能，你認為可採取什麼步驟去使工作/休息更平衡？


註：若你有聖經且想要看有關工作與休息之平衡的其他章節，請看：
箴言6章9-10節，10章5節；傳道書4章5-7節，5章12節；歌羅西書3章17，23節


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