不受重視的休息
By Sergio Fortes
最近整個星期六的時間我都在家裡沒事做。本來我打算去巴西小鎮上的美麗公園漫步，那裡有巨大的樹木、湖泊和一大片的開放區域，有一些家庭也會在那裡野餐。
但是因為某些原因，我沒有去。懶惰 ，或是你說是精神不 濟、冷漠和沒力氣抓住了我。我讀了一會兒書，又看了一會兒電視，吃了、睡了。然而，在一天結束時，我感到非常沮喪，我忍不住覺得自己浪費了一整天，毫無生產力，我似乎失去了生命中的一天。
我和我的女兒(工作是心理學家)談論這事，提出不同的觀點，引起了我的注意。她說：「不，父親，休息是上帝的禮物。收到這份禮物，你要毫無內疚，享受它。」不活動(休息)是來自上帝的禮物嗎？
我想起自己前一週的生活狀況非常激烈，我付出了很多努力，以及旅行了一段很長的時間。在那之後，我真的需要一段休息時間，一個重新煥發活力的機會。我還記得聖經告訴我們，即使是上帝，在完成了祂的工作之後，祂休息了。「神歇了他一切創造的工，就安息了。」（創世記2章2節）。 我不知道為什麼上帝需要休息，但聖經清楚地說祂「休息了。」我們是按照祂的形象創造的，因此在完成工作後，每週我們也應該花時間休息。
有一次，使徒們完成事工之旅回到耶穌那裡。他們向耶穌描述，自己當時工作很辛苦、很累，甚至沒有時間吃飯。耶穌看了他們疲累的反應給他們上了一課說：「你們來，同我暗暗地到曠野地方去歇一歇。」（馬可福音6章31節）。
還有一個小故事也告訴我們休息的重要性。有一次，一個小村莊的牧師，努力工作多年之後，在週日早上的佈道上告訴他的教區居民，他打算休息幾天。會後在教堂的出口處，三個老姐妹反對他的計劃，表達了他們的不同意見：「你怎麼能度假？難道你不知道魔鬼不休假嗎？」他們爭辯說。這時牧師就用謙卑和智慧的態度回答說：「這就是我需要度假的原因：不做魔鬼做的事。」
我們每天要面對的工作和挑戰都很大。期望的目標常常無法實現，努力的結果可能微不足道，讓我們覺得好像什麼事情都沒有完成。所以，我們認為自己沒有休息的權利，還有很多重要的事要做。
我們也常無意識地用所有可以想到的週末節目和瘋狂的活動懲罰自己，但就是不停下來休息。有些人甚至無意識說我們應該要有「創造性休閒」意思就是即使在休息時，也應該創造有價值的東西。
但是這種「懲罰」是沒有必要的。正如我的女兒提醒我的，休息是上帝的禮物。下次你決定休息時，沒有理由感到內疚，或覺得有做事永遠比什麼都不做要好。相反，允許自己不要做任何事情 ，以喜悅的心情和平安去休息，因為它是上帝賜予你的禮物。主耶和華說：「我必親自作我羊的牧人，使牠們得以躺臥。」（以西結書34章15節）。
©版權所有 為賽爾吉澳․佛提斯 是一位策略管理顧問，專長是企業領導。他也是巴西CBMC的會員。
反省與問題討論
當你有時間休息，卻沒有安排特定活動時，你感覺如何？你會好好享受休息的時間，或者你對沒做事感到內疚，覺得自己有義務要做某些事？ 所謂有意義的「休息時間」對你來說是什麼樣子的？ 本文中提到的牧師說他打算休息，「不做惡魔做的事」，你認為他的意思是什麼？ 當你在工作特別辛苦或非常忙碌後，考慮花時間休息時 ，你會特意在休息時間考慮到上帝嗎？解釋你的答案。
出埃及記33章12-14節
33:12 摩西對耶和華說：「你吩咐我說：『將這百姓領上去』，卻沒有叫我知道你要打發誰與我同去，只說：『我按你的名認識你，你在我眼前也蒙了恩。』
33:13 我如今若在你眼前蒙恩，求你將你的道指示我，使我可以認識你，好在你眼前蒙恩。求你想到這民是你的民。」
33:14 耶和華說：「我必親自和你同去，使你得安息。」
列王記上19章3-9節
19:3 以利亞見這光景就起來逃命，到了猶大的別是巴，將僕人留在那裏，
19:4 自己在曠野走了一日的路程，來到一棵羅騰樹下（小樹名，松類；下同），就坐在那裏求死，說：「耶和華啊，罷了！求你取我的性命，因為我不勝於我的列祖。」
19:5 他就躺在羅騰樹下，睡著了。有一個天使拍他，說：「起來吃吧！」
19:6 他觀看，見頭旁有一瓶水與炭火燒的餅，他就吃了喝了，仍然躺下。
19:7 耶和華的使者第二次來拍他，說：「起來吃吧！因為你當走的路甚遠。」
19:8 他就起來吃了喝了，仗著這飲食的力，走了四十晝夜，到了 神的山，就是何烈山。
19:9 他在那裏進了一個洞，就住在洞中。耶和華的話臨到他說：「以利亞啊，你在這裏做甚麼？」
詩篇37篇3-7節、34節
37:3 你當倚靠耶和華而行善，住在地上，以他的信實為糧；
37:4 又要以耶和華為樂，他就將你心裏所求的賜給你。
37:5 當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠他，他就必成全。
37:6 他要使你的公義如光發出，使你的公平明如正午。
37:7 你當默然倚靠耶和華，耐性等候他；不要因那道路通達的和那惡謀成就的心懷不平。
37:34你當等候耶和華，遵守他的道，他就抬舉你，使你承受地土；惡人被剪除的時候，你必看見。
詩篇46篇10節
46:10 你們要休息，要知道我是 神！我必在外邦中被尊崇，在遍地上也被尊崇。
以賽亞書40章31節
但那等候耶和華的必重新得力。他們必如鷹展翅上騰；他們奔跑卻不困倦，行走卻不疲乏。
馬太福音11章28節
11:28 凡勞苦擔重擔的人可以到我這裏來，我就使你們得安息。
THE UNDERAPPRECIATED GIFT OF REST
By Sergio Fortes
Recently I spent an entire Saturday at home doing…nothing. I had planned to go to the beautiful park of the small Brazilian town where I live, and stroll among its giant trees, lakes, and open areas where some families enjoy friendly picnics.
For some reason, I could not do any of this. Sloth – you might call it laziness, or spiritual apathy and inactivity – took hold of me. I read a little bit, watched TV for a while, ate, and slept. At the end of the day I felt badly, however, almost guilty. I could not help feeling I had wasted the day being unproductive; it seemed like a day I had lost.
Talking about this with my daughter, a psychologist, she caught my attention when she offered a different perspective: "No, Father, rest is a gift from GOD. Receive this gift without guilt and enjoy it." Inactivity – and rest. A gift from God?
This reminded me that the preceding week had been intense, with lots of hard work, along with considerable traveling. After that, I needed a break time, an opportunity to become re-energized. I also remembered that the Bible tells us that even God, "having finished his work, he rested" (Genesis 2: 7).
I do not know why God needed to rest, but it clearly says He “rested.” It makes sense then, that created in His image, each week after finishing our work, we also should take time to rest.
Once, the apostles returned to Jesus from a ministry tour He had assigned to them. In giving their report, they recounted days of hard work and emotional weariness. They had not even taken time to eat. Jesus” response to their weariness provided for them a significant lesson: "Let us go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile" (Mark 6.31).
A story is told that one time the priest of a small village, after years of hard work, communicated to his parishioners during his Sunday morning sermon that he intended to take a few days off. At the exit of the church, three old sisters, objected to his plan, expressing their disagreement: "How can you take a vacation? Do not you know that the devil does not take a vacation?” they argued.
The old priest replied with humility and wisdom: "That's why I need a vacation; not to do the works of the devil.”
The daily business and professional challenges we face are gigantic. We cannot always achieve the goals we want. The results are sometimes trifling; sometimes we feel as if we have accomplished nothing at all. As a consequence, we are tempted to think we have no right for leisure, that we have work that must be done.
We unconsciously punish ourselves with weekend programs and frenetic activity, including everything we can imagine – except rest. No leisure. Some people even speak about "creative leisure," perhaps an unconscious reaction that makes us feel that even in rest, we should be producing something worthwhile.
But there is no need for such self-inflicted “punishment.” As my daughter reminded me, rest is a gift from God. The next time you decide to rest, there is no reason for guilt or feeling that doing something always is better than doing nothing. Instead, give yourself permission to do nothing – and do it with joy and in perfect peace, as a GOD”s gift for you. “I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign Lord” (Ezekiel 34:5).
© 2018. J. Sergio Fortes is a consultant in strategic management and a specialist in corporate leadership. He also is a member of CBMC Brazil.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
How do you feel when you are afforded a time to rest, with no specific activities scheduled or expected of you? Do you welcome those times, or do you feel guilty, as if you are obligated to be doing something? What does a meaningful time of rest look like for you? When the old priest mentioned in this “Monday Manna” said he planned to rest so that he would “not do the works of the devil,” what do you think he meant? As you consider taking time to rest, especially after a particularly demanding period at work or an extremely busy schedule, do you ever make an intentional effort to include God in your time for rest? Explain your answer.
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about his subject, consider the following passages: Exodus 33:12-14; 1 Kings 19:3-9; Psalm 37:3-7,34, 46:10; Isaiah 40:31; Matthew 11:28
