When work piles up and the hours get long,
We push and push, but everything goes wrong.
Our brains get fuzzy. Our bodies say, “Stop!”
But we guzzle some coffee and try not to drop.
The truth is quite simple, though hard to confess,
More hours can wind up producing even less.
Like soil that must rest for the harvest to grow,
Our bodies need sleep, and they tell us so.
Remember when Jesus lay down in the boat.
The storm made it shake, but it still stayed afloat.
The disciples panicked. Their courage was gone,
But Jesus was snoozing, just sleeping along.
He trusted the Father, so calm he could be,
While thunder and lightning shook sky and sea.
If Jesus could rest in the middle of such strife,
Then maybe we can—in the storms of our life.
Some waste their best hours on movies and screens,
On chatter and noise, with TV reruns and familiar scenes.
But pillows and blankets can serve us much more,
By mending our health with strength to restore.
The Sabbath was offered as a gift from above,
A rhythm for resting, a pattern of God’s love—
Not rules to restrict us, nor chores to complete,
But time to recharge and to rest at his feet.
So take it from Solomon, wise in his own way.
There’s time for labor, and there’s time for play.
There’s time for our laughter and time for our sleep,
A promise from God that his rest we can keep.
For rest is not lazy. It’s holy and true,
Sharpening your mind for the work we must do.
Stop all the striving, the stress, and the test,
And learn from the Lord how to truly find rest.
Close your eyes and just lay down your head.
There’s no need for fear and no need for dread.
God watches over us, through our nights and days,
And gives us his rest in the most wonderful ways.
