The following excerpt was extracted with the permission of the book by Fiel Editor Mulher, Crist e Bem-Sucesso.
In Japan, there is a term for an employee who works too hard and dies prematurely from work-related stress: karoshi, which literally means ‘death from overwork’. Japan’s dramatic rise from the ashes of World War II, which stood out economically, occurred at the expense of employees who worked twelve hours or more a day, six or seven days a week, without taking vacations. , but this progress has had its effect: some studies have linked it to a higher incidence of heart and brain disease, as well as a decrease in the life expectancy of Japanese men.
- The writer of the Ecclesiastes knew the futility of this research.
- Ecclesiastes 4.
- 6 says: “Better a rest handle than both hands full of work and chasing the wind.
- “Working without rest is a physical and spiritual karoshi.
- What do you want us to look at.
- Because in our relentless desire to work.
- Fame.
- Fortune.
- The approval of others.
- Will pass through our fingers as if the wind were chasing.
- You can’t do that.
Western culture has known for almost two centuries that a third of our day should be devoted to rest; a third at work and a third to live. As a recent salon magazine article points out, a hundred and fifty years of research show that long hours of work kill profits, productivity and employees. Every hour works more than 40 hours a week makes it less efficient and less productive, both in the short and long term. It may seem strange, but it’s true: the easiest and fastest your company can do to increase employee performance and profits?is to get everyone off the treadmill 55 hours a week, sending them back at a rate of 40 hours a week.
Even when we try too hard, we may not be able to do much. There’s only one being who can do everything on your to-do list. Here is the point of Psalm 127, which echoes the topics found in the Ecclesiastes:
If the Lord does not build the house, those who build it work in vain; if the Lord does not keep the city, the sentinel watches in vain. It will not be useless to get up in the early morning, rest late, eat the bread that grows painfully; give it to your loved ones while they sleep (Psalm 127:1?2).
There is an alternative reading for this last line, even more encouraging: “yes, give your loved ones while you sleep. “
As an independent professional, have I experienced (Carolyn) this experience too many times to count them?Opportunities where I had to find new jobs or clients and had nothing planned. I woke up the next day to find a job in my email inbox. It’s not just about our own bosses, but I think it’s easier to become aware of this daily allowance when we don’t have a forecast of the source of our income.
I also had the opposite experience, when by material needs I tried beyond the limits of sleep and thought I could make a lot of progress, until I went to review my work after getting enough sleep and realized how bad I was. It was pure vanity to stay awake so late. (Oh, it’s Nora who elbows me, because it happened while we were writing this book!She is the bird that wakes up early, and I, the night owl, but many of my efforts to write late at night are inconsistent in Light, I need the truth of my own chapter, and I am not too proud to admit it).
If we recognize the essential difference between God and us, we will see the madness of ignoring God’s order to rest. Tim Challies writes:
Don’t forget your creative limits. Much of the dependence on over-work poses a challenge to the physical limitations that God, our Creator, has imposed on us. Remember that the Lord also cast a curse on the work. Knowing that the fallen man would eventually seek maximum satisfaction in his work, and not in him, did God put thorns and thistles and sweat in his face?get the man out of work and go to him.
Many wives and mothers are well aware of their limitations as creatures, but cannot see the end of their work. I (Nora) feel exactly like that. The rest seem to escape from overworked mothers. The dream is, at best, sporadic, because of the stories I hear. Teenagers disturb their nights as much as the little ones who have just started walking. Reading this last line of Psalm 127 ??,?But here’s a real breath for you. God gives us the rest of the spirit by the grace He gives us. Even in our need for creatures, for rest, God draws us to Him to support us in a supernatural way.
Rest isn’t just inactivity. Rest is also restorative. There are elements of rest that are restorative mentally and spiritually. The military often refers to holidays as “R
The rest was done to restore our ability to work, if we work tirelessly we will close the creative part within us, bringing all our mental capacity to retract deep into the brain, which was programmed for our survival. Sleep is important, but other restorative activities are also important, such as exercising, eating nutritious foods, spending time with friends, or reading a good book. Following God’s weekly rest pattern may be the best part of productivity.
Although we are created in the image of God, are we not like God in his boundless capacity?He alone does not sleep or sleep (Psalm 121. 4).
Do you have a recognized profession?Take care of your home and your family?Is employment reserved for women who need an income?Can women be feminine, pious and, at the same time, have professional aspirations?According to God, what is the difference between the mother who stays home?and the woman who works outside?
In this book, Carolyn and Nora answer these and many other questions that weigh on the heads of women of different ages and backgrounds. Far from the accusatory arguments, which divide more than collaborate for a healthy and uplifting discussion, Carolyn and Nora show how the Message of the Redeeming Gospel allows biblical teachings on the role of women to coexist with professional commitment, fostering female contribution at home, in society, and in the church.
If you have ever wondered if you live the life that glorifies God the most, this book will help you think biblically about the relationship between women and work.