Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ~Genesis 1:28

Contrary to what some may believe, work is not a curse; it is something God established at the beginning of creation. Although it may have looked different had the Fall not happened, we were not intended to be an idle people. The modern age of television and internet has not been good for society, as it has made us more sluggish and unhealthy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.  ~Exodus 20:9-11

But just as God created work, He also created rest.

I feel bad for people who think their worth is based on how hard they work or how much they accomplish. I struggle with this as well, but just like laziness is not a virtue, neither is being a workaholic. We were created for relationship–both with God and with other people–and that is what suffers when people feel like they have to work every waking hour seven days a week. God set an example by resting on the seventh day, and we should not feel guilty for following His example.

After you’re gone, although your hard work may be mentioned, your loved ones will mostly be thankful for the time you spent with them, the wisdom you imparted, the fun times you had together, and hopefully how they saw Jesus in you.