Here’s what I think about our culture’s obsession with “give yourself grace” and the three cheer, hip-hip-hoorays we offer when we see a hardworking mother post on Facebook about how she indulged guiltlessly in an afternoon of relaxation while her toddler napped:

We are trying, grasping the dark really, to line our priorities up with God’s. We know we were created for work; we know we were created for enjoyment; we know we were created for (last and best) love. We know these things, but we forget in our sinful rebellion that God is the apex of it all. We work unto the Lord (not for our own benefit or satisfaction). We enjoy unto the Lord (not like the sluggard, eschewing responsibility). We love unto the Lord (not to feel good about ourselves).

We celebrate relaxation because it has become apparent to us, as a culture, that we tend towards guilt-ridden burnout. With all the yucky talk about “Millennials” being this lazy, self-indulgent generation, we still generally view ourselves as hard-working, in many cases overworked, people. It’s not entirely untrue; people my age are never really “off the clock” with the assumption that we have our company e-mail and calendar app installed on our phones and deadlines seeming to creep earlier with every year. What used to take a week and waiting on the post office has now become instant, a download from a website. Where time used to be allowed for “processing and handling” we now expect same-day deliveries. What we have gained in automation of processes, we have lost in the understanding that the human mind requires a delicate balance of stress and relaxation to operate at its peak. The demands of this age are not less for all the conveniences, but more.

So we applaud when we see that post of a mother enjoying a little R&R, and we grimace when we see “that person” who is always posting about their latest creation from the kitchen or their awesome grades or latest achievement at work. We have created a hostile environment for ourselves of “never enough”. When we find ourselves quick to say to the person bemoaning his lack of productivity, oh but we all need a little rest, what we are really doing is trying to assuage our own guilt, or deny that we have guilt. We are trying to create, with our words, a reality that we have yet to fully embrace: a reality in which hours of watching TV or scrolling through Facebook are not reasons to be ashamed, but something to celebrate. We want to be able to answer, “What did you do today?” with childlike lack of shame: “I played all day and ate ice cream. It was a wonderful day.” And admit it; that does sound wonderful.

But we were not created for selfish indulgence. And we were not created to be machines with no need of rest. We were created to be, and in being, to create and tend and build. The solution to our overworked minds is not amusement or diversion. The solution in this lazy society of instant everything is not more of the same, only in more palatable form. Don’t trade instant results for instant gratification, or attempt to find some balance of the two. Like much of God’s ways, He calls us not to find a path within the weeds but to forge ahead into the wilderness. He isn’t asking us to work harder or to take less rest; on the contrary, He is asking us to work in His strength and rest in His strength. He’s asking us to be obedient in all areas, including His command to rest.

So, the solution is, like everything else, not to codify our behavior and try to match our rules with God’s, but to instead lean fully on Him for everything, even our rest. This is where most bloggers would try and insert a “how to rest” bulleted or numbered list. I won’t do that, because I believe God is speaking to everyone who listens and He is more clear than any list on a blog post. He gives unwavering, persistent direction to all who will submit to Him.

Will you, today, give your work and your rest to the God who created you, Who best knows your needs and your heart’s desires? What will that look like?

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31