I'm sitting here on Sunday evening, and my phone just buzzed with another work email. It's Labor Day weekend, and somehow that feels both ironic and completely normal at the same time. We live in a world that literally never stops, don't we?

My husband was telling me earlier about how his dad used to talk about Labor Day when he was growing up in Ohio. Back then, it really meant something - stores closed, people gathered with family, and work actually stopped for a day. Not just the "I'll check emails later" kind of stopping we do now, but real rest.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what that looks like for us. Recently, I realized I do very well keeping MOST of the ten commandments in the Bible. However, I seem to easily overlook the Take a Sabbath. There's always another campaign to launch, another deadline to meet, another fire to put out. Even now, building Porch Swing Hope feels like work sometimes - the good kind, the meaningful kind, but still work.

When Rest Feels Selfish

Here's what I'm learning though, probably later than I should have: rest isn't lazy.

I used to think taking time to sit on our actual porch swing was wasted time. The boys needed something, the house needed cleaning, the garden needed tending, and there I was just... sitting. Watching the microgreens grow, instead of rushing to make something happen.

But you know what? Those microgreens taught me something. They grow best when I'm not constantly fussing with them. They need the right conditions, yes, but then they need time. They need rest between the work of sprouting and growing.

Maybe we do too.

The God Who Rested

I grew up hearing about how God rested on the seventh day, but I think I missed the point for years. I thought it was just a nice story about following rules and going to church on Sundays. But what if it's actually about something deeper?

What if God rested not because He was tired, but because He wanted to show us something important? That work - even good, meaningful, world-creating work - has its place. And so does rest.

Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV): "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (ESV): "Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day."

I think about the old hymn "Be Still My Soul" and how it talks about being still when everything around you is chaos. That's not about being lazy or checking out. It's about finding that quiet place where you remember who you are and why you're doing what you're doing.

Learning to Stop

Last spring, I learned this lesson whether I wanted to or not. I'd been pushing hard on too many things - family stuff, work projects, trying to be everything to everyone. My body basically said "nope" and made the decision for me.

Sitting in that doctor's office, hearing words like "stress" and "burnout," I realized something. All that busyness I thought was so important? Most of it could wait. The world didn't end because I took a week off. The people who really mattered understood. And the ones who didn't... well, maybe that told me something too.

My son said something that week that stuck with me. He said, "Mom, you're more fun when you're not stressed all the time." Out of the mouths of babes, right?

What Real Rest Looks Like

So what does rest actually look like in a world that never stops? I'm still figuring it out, but here's what I've learned so far:

It's saying no to good things sometimes so you can say yes to better things. It's turning off the phone during dinner. It's sitting on the porch swing without feeling guilty about the dishes in the sink.

It's also recognizing that rest isn't just about stopping. Sometimes it's about doing work that feeds your soul instead of just paying the bills. Building something that matters, like this little corner of the internet where we can be honest about hard things and still find hope.

The Labor in Labor Day

Here's what I think Labor Day is really about - honoring both the work and the rest. The people who built this country understood that hard work matters. But they also fought for things like weekends and holidays because they knew people aren't machines.

We need both. Work that means something, that serves others, that uses the gifts we've been given. And rest that restores us, that reminds us there's more to life than our to-do lists.

This Labor Day, maybe we can remember that taking time to breathe isn't selfish. It's necessary. For us, for the people we love, and for whatever good work we're called to do.

Finding Your Porch Swing

You might not have an actual porch swing, but you have something. Maybe it's a corner of your couch, a rocking chair, a walking trail, or just five minutes in your car before you go into the grocery store.

Whatever it is, I hope you'll use it this weekend. Not because you've earned it or because you've checked everything off your list, but because you're human. Because rest is a gift, not a reward for good behavior.

The work will still be there tomorrow. The emails will keep coming, the responsibilities won't disappear, and there will always be more to do than time to do it.

But today, maybe we can just be still for a minute. Maybe we can remember that we're more than what we produce or accomplish. Maybe we can find a little peace in the middle of a world that never stops spinning.

That sounds like something worth celebrating to me.

Do you take a day of rest? What does rest look like for you? I'd love to hear about your favorite way to slow down, especially if you've found ways to make it work in our always-on world. Share in the comments - we're all figuring this out together.