My joy for the day---vacation time!! That feeling of anticipation, that your time is your own for a whole week! Seriously, I felt like one of my rabbits when they first come out of their cage. They always do a lot of running around, hopping and doing some big leaps in the air, what we call "pops", that's their bunny dance. That's what I felt like doing today when I got out of work at noon. Freedom!
Vacation time is necessary, though. After all, God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2) There's more to it than that, though. "God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from His work of creation" (Gen. 2:3). If God, who is untiring, all powerful, omnipotent, any powerful adjective you can think of, rested, how much more do we, fragile and imperfect as we are, need to rest? In fact, it is so important that it is included in the Ten Commandments: "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you" (Exodus 20:8-10). Notice how specific God is in His instructions that no one was to work on that day. He even included the animals! I think He listed everyone because there was always going to be someone looking for a loophole. I don't see any room for argument there. Not that that has stopped people from trying.
Granted, I'm taking a whole week to rest, and not just a day, but I still think it's necessary. God doesn't want us all burned out---we can't possibly be as effective for Him if we're not taking care of ourselves properly, and part of that is learning to balance work and play, or in other words, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."
Looking into rest further, my Bible's dictionary/concordance defines rest as :"peace of mind or spirit; to repose, to take relief or respite, remainder, freedom from activity or labor". It's interesting that it lists 'peace of mind or spirit' first. The Webster's online dictionary has the definition in the opposite order:

1.

the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night's rest.

2.

refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest.

3.

relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.

4.

a period or interval of inactivity, repose, solitude, or tranquillity: to go away for a rest.

5.

mental or spiritual calm; tranquillity.

I guess the Bible places a higher priority on mental/spiritual calm than the world does. It's funny how much one can find out by looking things up and paying attention! That's another reason for a vacation...to give our brains a break so they can be sharp. It can't be good for the mind to be constantly working with no break. So I thank God for the gift of rest and recreation--which are His creation.