Holidays are over and work has hit the headlines in recent weeks.

Is your work stressful? Are you feeling close to burn out? Are you trying to improve your work-life balance?

For many, working patterns have changed beyond recognition in the last four years. Since the pandemic, we’ve all been calculating the costs and benefits of flexible and hybrid working – or, in other words, when we work and where we work.

Over half of businesses see flexible working as standard practice. Baroness Smith, the Minister of State, recently stated that ‘flexible working is actually good for productivity’, which in turn prompts the question about a four-day week. Many would agree that flexible working helps maintain healthy balance between work and home commitments. Is this your experience?

Not everyone is convinced. Some employers question levels of productivity when their teams are out of sight. Some workers struggle with out of hours calls, forcing the debate on work-life boundaries. The government wants to intervene by normalising flexible working and introducing a ‘right to switch off’, protecting work-life balance and putting mental health and work-related stress at the heart of public discourse.

The Bible clearly tells us that work is part of the created order. God created for six days and then rested (Genesis 1:1–2:3). Sabbath rest is at the heart of God’s rhythm for us as his creation. Jesus preached the good news, healed the sick, cared for the poor, and taught his followers. He also got away from the crowds, travelling up mountains to prioritise time with God, his father (Luke 5:15–16, Mark 6:46). There was work. There was rest. There was balance.

Deep within our nation’s search for work-life balance lies a deeper search for the meaning of life. Life in all its fullness. Life that can only be found in relationship with God our father, through Jesus Christ. And that life includes every part of who we are and what we do, including our work.

If life feels busy and work is demanding, I’d encourage you to take time this autumn to use our prayer journey ‘Working from Rest’. Be refreshed by God as you learn how to work fruitfully, deepen your in trust in him, and develop fresh habits of godly rest. As our nation searches for work-life balance, we have an opportunity to mould the culture and to model what it looks like to thrive at work. And this is underpinned by a clear sense of our identity in Christ, our purpose as whole-life disciples, and our call to be part of God’s redemptive work in this world.

Revd David Walker
Work Champion