“One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:6 NASB1995
Part of self-control is knowing when to take a break. To rest. Sometimes our labor is “striving after wind”. Fruitless. So much about self-control is “restraint” and that can include overworking ourselves or working tirelessly towards an outcome that is out of our control anyway.
This is not about being lazy or becoming the sluggard. It’s about living in wisdom and recognizing what is profitable when. Sometimes two fists full of labor is needed. Sometimes the handful of rest is better. This proverb addresses that reality.
How do you know when to rest? Oftentimes your body will tell you. I’m not necessarily saying take a three-hour siesta after every time you eat three helpings of pasta at lunch (and I’m not necessarily saying not to either). But listen to your body. Take a breath. Take a break. Take a Sabbath. Take a vacation. Even God rested* (Genesis 2:2). There’s a lesson in that.
In this day and age, in our society, we can fall into the mentality that if we are not “doing something” and if every moment of our waking breath is not filled with “something” (work, play, chores, labor, etc.) then it is “wasted”. It is not. Not necessarily. There is benefit, profit, and value in taking a timely rest. We must learn to recognize and appreciate this, and more importantly, do it.
We must have self-control in restraining ourselves from overworking, not getting enough rest (sleep) and realize all of the other problems that can come from that. This body was not designed and made to keep going and going. That’s what our next body is for.
So, with your self-control, take a breath, take a nap, take a sabbath, or take a whole sabbatical. A hand full of rest can be just what the Great Physician ordered.
*Of Course Jehovah is a divine being and need not “rest”. Here it means He ceased from the labor of creation. Regardless, there’s a lesson there.
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