I have a friend who has a great husband and three beautiful children. She is a wonderful wife and mother who is always investing in family and doing things for them. However, she told me that she always feels so guilty when she takes time away to just get her hair or nails done. She feels like she has to rush back to tend to her family. She told me one time, “I just sit in the chair at the salon tapping my feet nervously, counting the minutes. I just can’t seem to relax. I feel like I don’t have time to take care of myself because there is so much that needs to be done.”

Do you ever feel that way? The truth is my friend’s husband and children probably want her to take time for herself, knowing that when she is refreshed, she can be her best.

We all have a life list of to do’s either written down or in the back of our minds. Don’t fall into the trap of forgetting to put yourself on the list. That’s not balance; it’s not healthy. You are important, and you need to take time to rest and do things for yourself. That means you have to do things to relax—read, play golf, take a bubble bath—even if you have to schedule thirty minutes of “me time” into your daily planner. Sometimes just taking a walk in the park and looking at the birds or taking in some fresh air is enough to rejuvenate us. Maybe you need to kick back under a tree and enjoy an ice cream cone. Whatever it is that refreshes and refocuses you is a good investment of your time.

In America, we recognize today as “Labor Day.” It’s a holiday to honor the American worker and a day of rest and celebration with friends and family. But did you know that rest is actually a spiritual principle? God Himself showed us a pattern of working and resting in the book of Genesis. If God worked and then chose to take a day of rest, we certainly all need to stop working and take time to rest! Always remember that rest is a gift from God. So take time to receive it today!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29