"Play"

I thought, well, time is running,

And if no time for funning,

The devil’s downright cunning,

When he says we can’t play.

For some are always working,

For fear they might be shirking,

The chain is always jerking,

With not a Sabbath day.

But if the Lord our Maker,

Took time to rest from labor,

May be our deal breaker,

If we don’t see the need,

For slipping from the grindstone,

To something fun, it’s been shown,

To relieve us since we are prone,

To never slow our speed.

So take the time God gives you,

Do the work and when through,

The next thing that you should do,

Is go and play awhile.

Don’t fear the down time, brother,

You’ll find your fire won’t smother,

And you’ll move to another,

Hard work day, it’s your style.  

“For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world…” (Hebrews 4:10, NLT)

Spiritual rest is a gift we receive when we realize God has done for us through Jesus what we cannot do for ourselves. It is also a part of our experience as we allow the Holy Spirit to do through us what we otherwise could never do- forgive, love, endure, etc. These are great spiritual truths. But in the natural, many otherwise strong believers have fallen into the trap of workaholism. There’s so much to do and so little time! I know…But if we do not learn to take breaks and have fun, burn out is inevitable. A very wise man once taught me that life should find a healthy balance between work, play and worship. I think he was right. You may not be able to take the break you really want or need right now, but give yourself permission to at least ease back a little. God does.

Lord, help us to learn how to balance our work, play and worship, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jamie Means, jamiemeanswesternart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jamie, and God bless you.