Yesterday I turned 36. I was thankful to be able to take the day off, sleep in, not shave, work out mid-morning, take my 4-year old to Sonic for a slushie, go see a matinee movie with my wife, pick my older boys up from school, shoot baskets in our cul-de-sac with them, watch some TV, enjoy the best fajitas my wife has ever made (and that's saying a lot), and wind down with some friends over for birthday cake. At the end of the day, I realized how much a person can accomplish while they are resting.
It got me thinking about the Biblical concept of Sabbath - and how God offered (well, commanded, really) His people to take a day of rest every 7th. Over the centuries the religious leaders stripped the Sabbath from God's original intentions and placed a bunch of crappy regulations around it which where never intended to be there. Jesus rebuked this legalistic attitude when he said that "the Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath."
The point is this: The God of Jesus Christ is gracious. He is not the rigid, fussy and irritable God so many humans have painted Him to be. He knows we have limits. He knows we need planned periods for rest. And He gave us not only permission, but a commandment to take the issue of rest seriously. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means "rest". It originally had little to do with the word "seventh" per se - as some religious groups insist. God indeed "rested" on the seventh day, and He commanded the Israelites to imitate Him in this pattern.
It doesn't matter which particular day of the week you schedule in for some rest. The important thing is that you DO it. The pace of 21st century life will suck the energy out of your existence if you allow it. For most of us, there is always something more to do - another deadline to worry about, another phone call or email to return, another pressing need demanding our attention. Biblically, "rest" is a matter of faith. It reminds us that while it is virtuous to work hard when it's time to work - we are nonetheless NOT little Messiah-clones designed to be able to meet the needs of the universe.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are wary and heavy-burdened, and I will give you rest. Come and learn from me, for I am humble and gentle in spirit." Remember, a day of rest doesn't necessarily mean sleeping the day away. But it may mean turning off the cell phone, focusing on fun and relationships, and carving out some personal space as well. I know - some will say this is easier said than done. But we tend to accomplish the things we make a priority in our lives. Are you getting enough rest - spiritually, physically and emotionally? None of us are perfect on this quest for adequate rest - but God invites us to it...
Your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment