Happy Memorial Day!
We typically think of this day as the beginning of summer. The season to slow down, go on vacation, get rest, and take a break from our typical year long routines.
We can think of it as a sabbatical of sorts.
The things we do each day – our work – are good for us. We feel a sense of pride, accomplishment and productivity by accomplishing the tasks we do each day. God ordained for us to work:
- “Be fruitful and increase in number†(Genesis 1:28)
- “fill the earth and subdue itâ€
- “rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the groundâ€
We are even told in Genesis 2:15, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.†In other words, God told man to work.
God clearly knew work would be good for us. He gave man his first job, if you will. Yet those extended periods of time, when we work hard and long days, causes us to long for “a day offâ€. We want – rest.
In Genesis 2, we are further told:
“By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.†(verses 2-3, NASB)
God Himself rested from His time of work. We, too, need a sabbatical, a time of rest.
What happens to us as we sabbath? How do we benefit when we slow down? I hope you will join me at Woman to Woman Ministries HERE as we look more at the concept of rest.
Image by Petr PÅ™euÄil from Pixabay
Today I may be joining …
Both a good work ethic and a day of rest are good for us–as God demonstrated. I am grateful for the rhythm of the week, with Sunday spent in community worship. This rhythm has become more stable since retiring from hospital nursing.
Good point! I was spending way too much time scrolling on Instagram and decided to make Sundays screen-free. At least from my phone, anyway. It’s one of the best things I’ve done to clear my mind before starting the week again.