Raise Boys to Rest to Work

When my wife and I were raising our boys, we understood the value of rest, recreation, and fun. More than just the daily playtime mentioned in the previous chapter, there was a reasonable priority placed on family fun times. As a matter of fact, the scheduling of trips to the amusement park, the zoo, or the sporting event served an important role in seeking to instill a balanced Christian work ethic in my children.

Such balance should start with the common work-before-play principle. Most parents are quick to employ this when there are beds to make before a trip to the park, or when there are toys to pick up before dinner. But wise parents will take this one step further. The Bible warns us that it is easy to idolize rest and recreation. We are warned by God to “Love not sleep” and “eat only enough” of the sweet treat of honey lest you “vomit it” (Prov. 20:13; 25:16). When, as parents, we only hold out the promise of fun times as treats to be worked toward, we create in our sons the all-too-common “Wednesday hump day” and “Thank God it’s Friday” mentality. If, as the old 80s song goes, “Everybody’s working for the weekend,” then we are bound to raise clock-watchers who will never approach their work “as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23).

Let us raise young men who will be careful to consistently and adequately rest so that they can glorify God in their work.

To counter this, my wife and I regularly scheduled breaks, trips, and recreation as activities, which we clearly presented as ways to “re-create” our minds and bodies so that we could serve the Lord in our daily work. We wanted our boys to learn to love to engage in the work God called them to do. And we wanted them to see the role of taking an appropriate amount of fun and tranquil breaks to recharge, reorient, and regroup, so that they could reengage in the daily tasks they were made to tackle. “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,” Proverbs 14:30 states. We need that life “recreated” in us through joyful times when we will “not do any ordinary work.” I put those words in quotes because it is the phrase used in the Bible twelve times, as God scheduled Israel’s annual calendar. They were told to participate in various feasts and festivals that were to be characterized by joy and celebration—events during which the people were to “not do any ordinary work.” We have to schedule these for our kids—weekly and throughout the year. They will not be able to resist looking forward to these times as you schedule them, but be sure they are rightly understood as important breaks to refresh us for our daily tasks.

While many will go to work just so they can rest, let us raise young men who will be careful to consistently and adequately rest so that they can glorify God in their work.