This thoughtful article reminds us of the theology behind the circumstances of work, rest, and play, noting that as humans we have limits and work is a reflection of our love for God. Our omnipotent God does not need us to do his work.
"As important as work is, work isn’t meant to define us. To say it more precisely, work should be an expression of our identity, not a means through which we “earn” our identity. The problem with restless work is that our work soon becomes who we are. God’s original Sabbath command—taking one day off a week to rest—was given to God’s people who were used to working 24/7. There were no “days off” for slaves in Egypt (or, for that matter, in the ancient world more generally). Today, we don’t think of ourselves as slaves to our work, but is working 24/7 really that much different? Ironically, we now do voluntarily what Israel was coerced to do long ago. The pay and working conditions are no doubt better, but our identities are distorted all the same. We become what we do."
