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LifestyleTranscript
00:00In the mid-1800s, Americans fled to the West in droves in search of gold and a better life.
00:08But according to the Emigrant's Guide to California published in 1849, it was the gold rushers
00:14who rested most, specifically by observing the Sabbath, that reached their destination
00:19the quickest.
00:21As the Guide shares, those who laid by on the Sabbath, resting themselves and their
00:25teams, reached gold country twenty days sooner than those who traveled seven days a week.
00:32The gold rushers' example illustrates a fascinating paradox.
00:36Oftentimes rest is the most productive thing we can do.
00:40And not just Sabbath rest.
00:42As the scientific community now understands, bi-hourly breaks throughout the workday and
00:47an eight-hour sleep opportunity every night are essential to doing our most exceptional
00:52work.
00:54Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus embodying these three rhythms of productive rest.
01:00He offered restorative breaks to His disciples as they worked, He fought for sleep, and He
01:05reaffirmed the goodness of Sabbath.
01:08Of course, because He is our Creator, Jesus knew what centuries of scientific exploration
01:13have now empirically proven, that these rhythms of rest are productive as we strive towards
01:19our goals.
01:21But Jesus also undoubtedly knew something science may never be able to prove, that rest
01:26is also productive for our souls.
01:29Taking breaks throughout your workday reminds you that God doesn't need you to finish your
01:33to-do list.
01:35Getting a full night's sleep reminds you that God is the only being who either slumbers
01:39nor sleeps, and thus doesn't need you or me to keep the world spinning.
01:44Sabbath reminds you that, in the words of N.T. Wright,
01:48All time belongs to God and stands under the renewing Lordship of Jesus Christ.
01:53These truths bring us to the sixth principle we need for redeeming our time.
01:58Principle 6.
01:59Embrace Productive Rest.
02:02To redeem our time in the model of our Redeemer, we must embrace the God-designed rhythms of
02:06rest which are counterintuitively productive for our goals and our souls.
02:12How practically do we incorporate these bi-hourly, nightly, and weekly rhythms of rest into our
02:17modern lives?
02:19I recorded a short video showing you how I practice one of them, Sabbath, with my young
02:24family.