No Reward for Overworking

America loves to overwork. America praises those who worship the grind, pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and never settle for good enough. I see it every day on billboards, watch it on social media, hear it from talking heads, and feel it in cultural undertones. Sometimes we do it because we want to. Sometimes we do it because we think we have to.

I get ahead by my own two hands.

I can't stop or else I'll fall behind.

If I don't keep working, what will I have?

And yet, at the end of the day am I really ahead? I've worked the 60th hour, but do my children even know me? I've got $100,000 in the bank, but can I sleep at night? I've closed the night shift out on my third job, but do I actually take time to pet that pet whose food I'm paying for?

No one really knows the balance of your life but you. Telling yourself you enjoy your life is not the same thing as actually enjoying it.

I have paid the penalty for overwork several times in my life, falling asleep at the wheel, missing pivotal moments of my children's lives, saving hard just to have to spend it.

No one is arguing against diligence and wise planning. I'm just asking you to look at your life and make sure you have a balance that leaves you satisfied instead of regretful. Savoring a little is better than hoarding a lot. A Savior who created you for relationship and offers you twenty-four hours of rest every six days knows your limits very well. Do you know them? Do you respect them? Do you live within them gracefully? There is no reward for overworking.