Picture it’s the end of a long day. In addition to being a long day, it has also been a long week. You have no responsibilities tomorrow—you don’t even need to take a shower if you don’t want to. What do you do? The phrase I hear in my mind is this: Time to unwind.

Unwinding is a perfectly fine thing to do. It implies that you have been “wound up” for a while, going full pace to accomplish what needed to be accomplished. Rest is a welcome thought, so it is time to unwind.

Just be aware of how you unwind.

Rest is not an excuse to let loose. The recognition that you’ve done a lot of hard work does not justify slipping into what the Bible refers to as “darkness.”

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

After professional athletes do an intense workout, they do not consume a ton of junk food and say, “I need to unwind.” They rest in a way that restores their bodies because what happens after the hard work is just as important as the hard work.

The same is true of you. God has an incredible purpose for you, and it is more important than any professional athlete. You get to be his ambassador and reflect his love.

Rest is not just an opportunity to unwind. It is an opportunity to rewind and be ready for what God has prepared for your tomorrow.