Scripture Reference: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1 Timothy 4:4-5
Remember the parable about the bad servant who spent too many hours at the office and the good servant who had a flexible work-from-home telecommuting arrangement so he could spend more time with his kids? No? Jesus didn’t tell any parables like that. You would think the Bible has a lot to say about work-life balance. But it’s hard to find passages that speak directly to the issue. In fact, the Bible doesn’t make a dichotomy between work and life because in the ancient world, work, life and family life were often integrated.
The problem with the work-life “balance” concept is the image of two competing forces: one always prevails over the other, except for those rare moments when “life” and “work” are in perfect tension. However, in Jesus’ own life, and throughout scripture, we don’t see “balance.” What we do see is rhythms of work, rest and celebration, all centered on loving God and others.
Today, many of us seek “work-life balance” because we yearn to find not just balance in our lives, but also health, wholeness and joy. Millions of us are working so much that our lives feel off kilter, our bodies tired, our spirits depleted, our souls drained, our relationships strained. Our challenge is not how to balance “work” and “life” so much as how to live a balanced, fruitful life that comprises healthy, blessed rhythms of work, rest and play.
In the next eight days, we’ll explore some elements of a healthy, godly life rhythm, as well as some of the things that can keep us in unsustainable ruts.
Prayer: Jesus, help me be fully present in all the areas of life that you’ve called me to. I pray that I would glorify you by establishing healthy rhythms of work, rest and play. Amen.
Author: Theology of Work Project
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