'I Need a Nap'
Rest was built into their culture. Nothing was open on Sunday except for church and a couple of restaurants. Sabbath was the rhythm of their lives.
Today’s motto is “leave no moment unfilled”. We have work which has no boundaries because we are expected to answer emails, texts, and calls 24/7. The time in-between activities is often filled with looking at news or other interests on our smart phones. At night we ‘rest’ with endless entertainment which doesn’t actually refresh our minds, emotions, and spirits. We stay up late because there is always something queued up on Netflix, YouTube, or Twitter. I’m reminded of Neil Postman’s 1984 book, “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. We are pretty close to fulfilling his thesis. It seems like the treadmill just gets faster and faster. Please let me off!
In the beginning God separated the day from the night. He created the rhythm of work and sleep for every day - sleep which we too often forfeit to the thousand little things that vie for our attention. Then the Creator made little co-creators – us – in His own image and gave us the model of the rhythm of our week. God worked for six days and when He was finished, He took time to rest and celebrate all the good He had done in the previous six days. He told humanity to take His lead, to imitate Him as His apprentices. Later, God gave His command through Moses saying, “the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.”(Ex. 20:10). I’m always touched that the command is for all God’s creation – Jew, Gentile, servant, free, children, and foreigners – to experience rest. It even extends to the animals. Even the animals need a sabbath from their hard work of producing for us.
The sacred rhythm of our lives set in the foundation of creation involves rest. Give thanks to God each evening for the good you were able to do that day, then rest. Turn off the TV and computer by 9:00 pm or 10:00 pm if you are a late nighter. Have your phone automatically turn off notifications at 8:00 pm every evening and charge it in another room besides your bedroom. Protect the rest that God baked into creation for our good. Hard as that may be, take a full Sabbath rest. That may be any day of the week that fits your schedule. We can’t give up the good work of taking care of our families, but we can give up all other work. Disconnect, spend as much time outside and with friends as possible. Take a nap and read a book. Look back over the week and give thanks for all the good God has done in you, for you, and through you.
God has designed you to flourish with the built-in blessing of rest. Jesus is saying to you, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)
Blessed to be a blessing,
Jonathan