Work-life balance is a trending phrase these days—and with good reason. In our non-stop work cultures, so many people are hungry for margin and rest.
No doubt, this is why countless new books on the subject are being published every year—each with its own particular formula for simplifying, prioritizing, delegating and automating the complexities of modern life.
And yet, as I was reading Genesis 2 this week, I was reminded: we already have the definitive formula for work-life balance. It was given to us right at the beginning of human history and it was demonstrated for us by God Himself.
Genesis 2:2-3 says, “On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.”
Our desire for work-life balance is not a sign of weakness or low work-ethic. It’s a sign that we were created in the image of God, who declared both His work good and His rest holy. So, if you are struggling to find a healthy balance between your work and your rest, begin by looking to the example of God.
Good Work:
Three times, in the two verses above, we find mention of God’s “work which He had done”—and that work was the work of creating. With the power of His words, God created the universe and everything in it—declaring, afterwards, that it was good.
We only need to glance at the natural world around us to agree with God’s verdict, don’t we? His creation is an unmatched blend of lavish, free-spirited beauty and precise, purposeful practicality. His creation both meets our needs and lifts our spirits.
And yet creating is not the only work our God does. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is also “upholding all things by the word of his power.” God did not simply create this world and then walk away from it. He continues, day after day, to sustain and take care of His creation. He causes the sun to rise, morning by morning. He fills our lungs with oxygen, breath after breath.
Our God is a God who does both creating and tending work—and He made us in His image. Though we are each gifted and employed uniquely, we are all called to create and tend, after the example of God.
The Work of Creating: Though not everyone would label themselves innately creative, God invites us all to exercise creativity in our day to day lives. This might look like creating a new process that streamlines your work. It might look like creating colorful doodles and mailing them to cheer up your friends. It can look like creating a new recipe or like prayerfully creating a warmer culture in that dwindling small group. Creativity can take many forms—but when we exercise it in small, daily ways, we can find surprising fulfillment in the have-to-do’s of life.
The Work of Tending: Tending work is a lot less exciting than creating work, but it is no less important. God specifically gave this work to humanity when He placed Adam in the garden to “cultivate and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). Ironically, though, tending is the kind of work we often try to get out of doing, because it involves doing the same small things, over and over.
Paying bills, cleaning out gutters, and changing diapers are good examples of this. “Boring,” we think to ourselves as we do them…and yet in these mundane tasks, we are actually following God’s example of tending to His creation.
So, are you using the creativity God gave you? And are you remembering the God-given dignity of even your most mundane tending tasks? If not, this is your invitation to change the way you work.
Adding creativity to our work and remembering the dignity of tending can revive our work-lives with a new sense of meaning.
Of course, working in this meaningful way isn’t the only example God gave us in Genesis 2.
Holy Rest:
Genesis 2:2-3 tells us, ““On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy… And in Leviticus 23:3, God tells Moses that He intends for His people to rest in the very same way. He says, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest…you shall do no kind of work.”
Though the work God calls us to is good and meaningful, we are not called to a life of constant effort. Early on in human history, God instituted the Sabbath—one day each week where work is to be paused and rest is to be enjoyed.
Most of us know this. Yet how many of us have trouble actually following this example (and command)? I know I do.
Our excuses usually sound something like, “Well, God could rest on the seventh day because He’d finished all His work, but I haven’t finished mine! I still have reports to type up, laundry to do, errands to run, emails to send…” and the list goes on. But in spite of our endless to-do lists, God still calls and enables us to take a rest day with this one powerful truth: While we are resting, God is working.
Yes, God rested from his creative work on that original Sabbath. But He never ceases His sustaining, tending work in our lives, today. As Psalm 121:3 says, “He who keeps you will not slumber.” When we lay down our work each Sabbath day, we are really entrusting that day—with all its unanswered emails, unfinished tasks and looming deadlines—into the hands of Almighty God, who never stops actively caring for us.
So, when we struggle to walk away from our to-do lists, we can simply pray, “Lord, I’m giving this [problem/worry/unfinished task] to you today. Please be working on it even while I’m not.” And we can know that He will. He will tend to everything that concerns us.
Resting on the Sabbath reminds us that life is not all up to us. It does not depend entirely on our efforts. The God who created us is also committed to tending and sustaining us. This enables us to both work meaningfully and rest peacefully.
So, as you begin this new year, consider:
- What is God calling you to create or tend this year?
- And how will remembering God’s constant care for you enable you to truly rest each Sabbath?
The work-life balance we crave begins when we embrace God’s pattern of good, meaningful work and holy, God-empowered rest.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my three year reading plan: “The Whole Counsel of Scripture.” To receive a copy of the first year’s reading plan (and future reading plans when they become available), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
