Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” – Mark 2:27 NLT
I once read an article about a very successful man (whose name you would recognize if I told you) who works 100 hours per week on a regular basis. This person works seven days a week, with a constant rhythm of eat, sleep, work, repeat! On the flip side, there are others who do not work and are constantly in “lounge mode.” Both extremes are unhealthy and inefficient.
In western culture, we have a 5 day work week and a 2 day off cycle. When you combine the average adult’s hectic schedule with children, sports, family dynamics, and work stress, our bodies become like punching bags. All of this busyness has almost completely eliminated the practice of taking an intentional rest day in a meaningful way, but what if we revived it?
Jesus gives us an answer for our chronic tiredness caused by our constant busyness. That answer has its roots in the book of Genesis. Day seven of creation is set aside expressly for the purpose of rest. On this day, God, after creating the heavens and the earth, comes to a halt and rests, establishing a pattern worth following (Genesis 2:2-3).
I’m not saying we should go back to legalistic rules that make us wonder if God will punish us if we don’t follow them perfectly. Instead, what if we purposefully worked hard six days a week, knowing we would be resting on the seventh? How might this improve our lives and ultimately accelerate our overall productivity?
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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 will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)
The fulfillment of the promise of rest for our weary souls is found in Jesus dying on the cross for us. From this place of forgiveness and being right with Jesus, we can experience rest for our souls and bodies. I can be ok with stopping all activity, but if I’m not at peace with God, then inner restlessness prevents me from ceasing activity for a period because my worth becomes tied to my busyness. Pride says, “I can’t stop working and rest because what I do is too essential to stop.”
Seeking Jesus, spending time with Him, and quality time with family and friends would be at the top of my list for a day of rest. At the same time, I try to purposefully take it easy, lay low, hang out, rest, stop, and intentionally limit my activities. This is extremely healthy for our souls, families, and bodies. Does that sound good to you? Let’s stop daydreaming about it and start working towards implementing it! Here are some ideas to get started.
Dig Deeper
1. Pick a day next week and put it on the calendar as a rest day. Resist adding anything else that may pop up. Consider how you would place Christ at the center of this day. How could you regularly practice this in community with others?
2. Start slow. Without making this rigid or religious, what healthy traditions could you work into this rhythm of life?
