More than Just a Day of Rest
April 29th 2008 02:11
The idea of a day of rest sounds a bit quaint and old-fashioned now. Shops are open and operating at almost normal trading hours. Many of us have to work on that day. Even those that don’t have to work may find their Sundays busier than the rest of the week.
Not just old-fashioned, but boring. “What are you doing on Sunday?” “Nothing.” “Sounds exciting. I might do the same.” Quite often I get asked on a Sunday what I have planned for the rest of the day. When I reply that I have nothing planned, I get the response of “You have to be doing something.” That’s true to a certain extent. But why do we feel that we always have to have a something planned.
We live in a world of agendas, to-do lists, goals and accomplishments. Doing nothing doesn’t help anyone complete their five or ten year plan. How does doing nothing achieve anything? Isn’t there anything more important you could be doing? But the most important things are not always the things that seem the most important. The most important things rarely make their way on to to-do lists.
God thought the Sabbath was important. He included it in the ten commandments. At first, this may seem like a strange thing to do. Do not murder. Yep, understand that. Do not steal. Got it. Do not commit adultery. Fair enough. But keep the Sabbath. The rest of the commandments are all about honouring God and things that are good for the community. We have laws for some of them now. But keeping the Sabbath? Who’s going to be hurt if I don’t rest. But God’s commandments aren’t always about what’s good for the community. God’s commandments are sometimes about what’s good for us.
Any good employer knows that his staff need a day of rest. If they work for too long without at least a day’s break, they become exhausted, stressed and unproductive. This doesn’t just apply to employed work. It applies to anything else that might be considered work. What that is will differ from person to person. I’m not going to be like the Pharisees of old and give you a long list of what you can and can’t do on that day. You know what you need a break from better than what I do.
Figuring out what not to do can be the easy part. Figuring out what you can do is sometimes harder. What does one do when one’s doing nothing. Again, this is personal. What’s rest for me may not be rest for you. But can I offer a few suggestions?
Take time to worship God. Take some time for personal reflection. Enjoy the company of the people you love and care about. Appreciate the beauty that is around you. Take a good look at the things that you usually rush past. Do something that brings you pleasure. Enjoy each moment as it comes. Do things slowly, knowing that there is nothing else you need to do.
Smile. Tell jokes. Laugh. Sing. Play. Have fun. After all it’s a day of rest, not a day of mourning. Be impulsive. Be creative. Do something different. There is nothing you need to do today. Enjoy the freedom.
Not just old-fashioned, but boring. “What are you doing on Sunday?” “Nothing.” “Sounds exciting. I might do the same.” Quite often I get asked on a Sunday what I have planned for the rest of the day. When I reply that I have nothing planned, I get the response of “You have to be doing something.” That’s true to a certain extent. But why do we feel that we always have to have a something planned.
We live in a world of agendas, to-do lists, goals and accomplishments. Doing nothing doesn’t help anyone complete their five or ten year plan. How does doing nothing achieve anything? Isn’t there anything more important you could be doing? But the most important things are not always the things that seem the most important. The most important things rarely make their way on to to-do lists.
God thought the Sabbath was important. He included it in the ten commandments. At first, this may seem like a strange thing to do. Do not murder. Yep, understand that. Do not steal. Got it. Do not commit adultery. Fair enough. But keep the Sabbath. The rest of the commandments are all about honouring God and things that are good for the community. We have laws for some of them now. But keeping the Sabbath? Who’s going to be hurt if I don’t rest. But God’s commandments aren’t always about what’s good for the community. God’s commandments are sometimes about what’s good for us.
Any good employer knows that his staff need a day of rest. If they work for too long without at least a day’s break, they become exhausted, stressed and unproductive. This doesn’t just apply to employed work. It applies to anything else that might be considered work. What that is will differ from person to person. I’m not going to be like the Pharisees of old and give you a long list of what you can and can’t do on that day. You know what you need a break from better than what I do.
Figuring out what not to do can be the easy part. Figuring out what you can do is sometimes harder. What does one do when one’s doing nothing. Again, this is personal. What’s rest for me may not be rest for you. But can I offer a few suggestions?
Take time to worship God. Take some time for personal reflection. Enjoy the company of the people you love and care about. Appreciate the beauty that is around you. Take a good look at the things that you usually rush past. Do something that brings you pleasure. Enjoy each moment as it comes. Do things slowly, knowing that there is nothing else you need to do.
Smile. Tell jokes. Laugh. Sing. Play. Have fun. After all it’s a day of rest, not a day of mourning. Be impulsive. Be creative. Do something different. There is nothing you need to do today. Enjoy the freedom.
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