Proverbs 31:27 Not idle, just resting

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

"Oh, no, here she goes again! Doesn't Snoodles know when to quit? She keeps laying out all these things we need to do, and plan, and accomplish!"

Au contraire . . . I have something else in mind altogether!

We have learned in this passage that there definitely are things that we should be doing; there are things to make; there are things to accomplish. But as we noted in another verse, we must also take special care of the bodies that our Father has given us. Proper nutrition is one important facet -- proper rest is another.

This verse tells us that a Spirit-filled woman, be she single or married, watches over the affairs of her household (a re-statement of some of the previous principles) and that she is not "idle."

The dictionary makes this distinction about the meaning of the words "idle" and idleness:

  . . . to pass time without working or avoiding work, wasteful, lazy, without purpose

Rest, however, is not idleness. We rest with a purpose -- to rejuvenate, to recover our strength, to be able to keep on going. It is not wasteful; in fact, our attempting a task when our strength is exhausted can be wasteful. We should not feel guilty for taking a moment to relax and put our feet up, to rest.
We even find verses that point out the need for us to rest.
Mark 6:31
And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
Exodus 33:14
And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."  

We serve an all-powerful God -- He did not NEED to rest on the seventh day of creation, but He did, to set an example for us. 
Hebrews 4:9-11
There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.

It's not idleness -- it's resting! And it's important!