Life is continually dynamic. It never stops. It gives few warnings of imminent dangers that buffet us. The expectations do not diminish. No matter how much we delegate, there are many other obligations waiting to fill those slots vacated by assigning tasks elsewhere. For most people I know, they are working longer days, spending time in the evenings and on weekends answering messages, and trying on Saturday and Sunday to squeeze in family time, rec time, church, and hopefully, some time with friends before Monday.
We are good at staying busy. We are not accomplished at truly resting one day a week. In God’s design, every seventh day was to be a “Sabbath” …. a full rest from any work. Scripture states that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The days of creation were recorded so that we would see God’s good intention for us to rest one day out of seven. The secular culture is set up on seven-day weeks. Most people work 5-6 of those days with at least one day off. And, in today’s culture, the day of rest may involve lots of things, but most often in the 21st century, only a small minority of people use it as a day of worship.
Resting on the LORD’S day enables us to be refreshed in our spirit. When we meet with God’s people in God’s presence, our hearts are renewed by singing, praying, and studying the Word of God together. Resting allows our minds and bodies time to recover from a full week previously and to prepare for the week ahead. And, resting enables us to review what was really “good” about the week just lived in the same way God reviewed each day of Creation and said, “It was good.” Failure to rest can lead to fatigue, discouragement, and disillusionment because there is never a break from the demands. Rest does not appear to have a measurable benefit that one can list on the ledger as an “accomplishment”, but the benefits from rest surely are magnificent.
The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening your ax?” The young man replied, “I’ve been working too hard to take the time.” (Copied).