In recent years, people have begun traveling a great deal, visiting different countries and vacationing at various resorts. At one point in my life, I decided to try it too, and I discovered something very interesting: it is an extremely expensive pleasure, especially when you live on a single salary. I know families who took out loans to vacation in an exotic country, then spent the entire year paying off the debt, only to do the same thing again the following year. I also know people who buy all-inclusive vacation packages, eat and drink at any hour without moderation or restraint, and afterward tell everyone how they stuffed themselves and how wonderful it was.
There is another kind of rest: a person comes home from work, collapses on the couch, turns on the television, and shuts out the whole world. Today smartphones and tablets have replaced the television. In the past, people sat on the Internet; now they lie on it.
But my body, which loves to work, needs rest from everything.
The sixth law of health: Rest.
We were not created for work, study, or travel. All these things and other activities were given to adorn our lives, bring variety to our daily routines, and make us happy—but not to become the meaning of life. We choose what brings satisfaction to the soul. Yet in all of this, our Creator provided pauses in time. God gave humanity daily and weekly rest and even commanded us to rest on the Sabbath from sunset to sunset. This reveals the special love and wisdom of our Lord, so that we may always remember Whose creatures we are and that we are not robots laboring day and night.
Sleep is the time when I rest from my daily cares. I disconnect from the outer and inner worlds, slip into unconsciousness, and allow my body to reset my mind, repair various kinds of damage, cleanse my body, renew its internal life processes, rest my muscles, and do many other things that will sustain me through the new day. Sleep is an essential part of every person’s life, and our entire routine and all our activities are arranged so that we rest at a certain time of day. No one finds this surprising.
Sleep is an amazing process of life that holds many mysteries and has still not been fully understood. But everyone knows that every person needs it.
My little house of happiness is also designed so that, as I live by its principles, I find time to rest both body and soul. This brings special pleasure to my heart when it is in harmonious interaction with the other features of my house.
My health is directly connected with my sleep. If this function is disrupted or absent, the world of disease opens its doors wide to me, and I enter a land of stress and suffering.
My internal biological rhythms are set for sleep at night, when the sun is not shining. We are designed to rest when it is dark around us, and this is worth taking into account.
I know many stories about people who worked the night shift and slept during the day. In the end, all of them developed very serious sleep problems, and stress became one of the gifts of this world—a world that does not spare those who violate the laws of health but uses up human resources to achieve its goals.
Studies show that normal sleep should last seven to eight hours, allowing our bodies time to recover and renew themselves. It is also desirable to begin sleeping at 10:00 p.m. But if I deliberately shorten this time, I will soon discover that my body adapts to such a lifestyle and can no longer sleep for the time God has allotted to it, choosing instead to spend those hours awake and sleepless.
Of course, there are exceptions to all these rules. But it is best for them to remain exceptions rather than become the rule.
The next kind of rest is connected to the weekly cycle and is very important for every person’s spiritual and physical health.
God commanded us to work for six days and do all our work, but to dedicate the seventh day, the Sabbath, to Him, doing no work ourselves and requiring neither people nor animals to work on that day. So that humanity would always remember this, God gave this command as one of the Ten Commandments, writing it with His Own Hand on stone.
Our world has a tradition of pausing once a week, but not everyone manages to do so on the Sabbath. God did not merely tell us to rest once a week; He explained very clearly when this rest should take place. Obedience to the Almighty in this matter brings the blessing of this commandment into my life.
Keeping the Sabbath does not save me from the power of sin or from punishment for other transgressions, but it shows the entire visible and invisible world that I belong to the One Who saved me at the cost of His Own life. Through such obedience, I express my respect for my Savior and Creator. And God especially blesses all who honor Him and remain faithful under every condition and circumstance.
Some people wish to dedicate another day to God, or even every day. But however good these desires may be, they have no biblical foundation and are human rules or traditions that people try to follow in their desire to please God. Quoting the words of Isaiah, Jesus said that they worship Him in vain, teaching human doctrines and commandments (Mark 7:7).
There is something unique in Sabbath rest that cannot be received on other days. The body rests, while the soul is invisibly united with its Designer, Who meets with His creation at that time. During the worship service, Jesus strengthens the believers who come to worship. I see none of this with my physical eyes, but the eyes of faith perceive the invisible. My body senses its Creator and obeys Him in this long-awaited rest, allowing Him to restore in spirit, soul, and body what the organism cannot restore by its own strength.
As I work in this world, even in the spiritual realm, I become physically and emotionally weary. My nightly sleep and my Sabbath pauses restore me. But Jesus also advises us at times to withdraw to deserted places and rest there for a while. In addition, the Lord invites us three times a year to attend camp meetings organized by those who love God and desire to share this love with others. Amazing changes take place in hearts and lives at such gatherings, and God Himself blesses these meetings. This is the best time for the body and spirit to receive well-rounded restoration.
Proper rest has its own laws, which we have considered. Love teaches obedience and leads me toward a healthy way of life, because it delights to dwell in a strong body and focus its attention on the well-being of those it serves. Love loves to rest, because during that time it can very effectively convince me of its authority and establish me in it. Then, restored and strengthened, I can love and build my happiness with renewed energy, setting an example for those close to me, loving them with a pure heart, and bringing a special light into their lives. And my health, joined with a happy spirit, rightly testifies to God’s love, making that love accessible and desirable.
Bible verses for this chapter:
Genesis 2:2–3; Exodus 20:8–11; Deuteronomy 5:12–15; Exodus 16:23; Hebrews 4:9–11; Matthew 11:28–30; Mark 6:30–32; Genesis 31:40; Psalm 127:1–2; Proverbs 3:24; 4:14–18; 6:6–11; 20:13; Ecclesiastes 5:11; Jeremiah 31:26; Lamentations 5:4–6; Ezekiel 34:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:5–7; Daniel 6:18; Acts 20:9; Romans 13:11