In the beginning God worked. And then God rested. But then God got back to work, and apparently hasn’t stopped.
Since the beginning, human beings have worked. And then overworked, not heeding God’s gift of rhythms of work and rest.
Being over-busy is a symptom of pride, of a deep belief that I am essential to the world. That if I stop working for a period of time, then everything around me will fall apart and all my endeavors will fall behind. The invitation to Sabbath rest is a test of whether or not I take Jesus at his word:
“My Father is always at his work, to this very day.”
John 5:17
My Father is at work, therefore I can rest. I can rest from my work in order to more fully enjoy God and to join him in his work. I can break from the tyranny of my to do list, and in that freedom I can hear God’s further invitation to join him in whatever he is doing. In Sabbath rest I am liberated from my compulsions in order to get into the flow of my Father’s desires.
