On the Importance of Money and Rest

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” –George Lorimer

Keeping a proper perspective on the value of money may be one of the most difficult tasks in life. We all need a certain amount of money in order to live. But it is often difficult to judge how much money we truly need – to differentiate between our needs and our wants. This week I learned how the gospel helps us with our perspective on money. I can’t quote all of the things I learned, but want to share these six “rules”:

Rule 1. Seek the Lord and have hope in him

Rule 2. Keep the commandments, that includes the temporal ones, tithing and fast offerings.

Rule 3. Think about money and plan how you can become self-reliant.

Rule 4. Take advantage of chances for learning so you will not be ignorant of these matters. Education, as President Hinckley has taught us, is the Key to Opportunity.

Rule 5. Learn the laws upon which the blessings of wealth are predicated.

Rule 6. Do not send away the naked, the hungry, the thirsty or the sick or those who are held captive.

I could devote an entire post to each “rule”, but need to ponder these monetary principles more fully.

We also learned about the importance of rest this week. Wait, what? If we are resting we can’t earn money, right?

As it turns out, rest is as important to having a vision and working passionately to realize that vision as all of the other principles that we are studying. Stephen R. Covey made rest his seventh “habit” – Sharpening the Saw. Without rest, or taking time out, it is difficult to keep a clear head. It is also difficult to maintain a perspective on our failures, which are necessary in order to succeed.

I learned that rest is different than simply doing nothing. When we rest in the way the Lord intended – the commandment regarding Sabbath rest is an excellent example – we make time for the important things in life like family, friends and the Lord. Rest also helps us separate the important but not urgent things from the urgent but not important things. We rejuvenate our talents and our thinking becomes clearer. Afterwards, we are better able to focus on the vision of where we are headed.

So money and rest are not mutually exclusive. The key is maintaining a proper balance with both – not too much rest, and not too much striving after money.