Work and Rest

A news report I read recently pointed out that President Joe Biden might not have taken the burden of the Presidency seriously (assuming he is cognitively able to do so). In the last three and a half years, he has had 532 vacation days (!). That is equivalent to about 48 years worth of vacations for the rest of us (as most people do not take more than about 10 to 11 vacation days a year). That is also equivalent to being "out of the office" for 40% of his time as President. This just gives me another reason to wonder if he really did win the previous election or it was stolen. If he knew he earned it, I would expect that he would be willing to work hard to keep it.

How do we perceive our calling before God? Do we seek to have 40% of our work week off? Do we look for the lightest and easiest way of doing our duty? It is a seemingly American standard operating procedure. We can certainly go in the opposite direction and end up becoming entirely obsessed with our work (and I know a few people who do that already), but all of us need to make the real effort of finding that balance between work and rest.

The Lord wants us to rest (in fact the third commandment makes that clearly not optional!). He also wants us to work. As tempting as "extra vacation" days are, let us ask our Lord to give us guidance so that we can work when we need to and seek to take the rest needed; neither too much or too little of either. Let us be good stewards of the time that God has given us to do the work of His Kingdom.