I have come to the conclusion that resting is not merely doing nothing. In the best sense of the word, rest is what brings us refreshment of body, mind and soul. I think I really learned this during some hard times, some troublesome, worry-some times in my life. I would try to rest, but lying on my bed my mind would not stop running like an overheated computer trying to find a solution to my problems, and finding more and more reasons why my solutions would not work. Whatever rest is, it is something other than merely doing nothing.
Rest has to do with refreshment.
When I am refreshed, I am much less likely to say and do dumb things that make matters worse. Of course, nothing in my life is fool-proof, stupid proof or dumb proof. Even refreshed I can make a mess of things. However, I have learned, I foul up less often if I try to stay refreshed. The command to do no work at least one day out of seven is rooted in the wisdom that for us human creatures to be our best selves, we need the rest that refreshes.