The Rhythm of Life

Often I think about getting organized. It can feel like a joke...as likely as waking up tomorrow (in Santa Margarita) and running the Boston marathon.

Impossible.

Recently in Tuesday Night Bible Study we took a week to discuss the Sabbath. This is something that I have pondered for years. I have had long conversations about it with friends; I have asked many people how they "do" the Sabbath thing; but I never found what I was searching for. I suspect it was because I never sat down and looked at what God's word had to say about that day of rest.

 

Until now.

I now believe that for the post resurrection Christian, the Sabbath is not just a day, it is a lifestyle of faith that believes in enough. Believing that 6 days of working is enough to provide...that quality of life can only be had with enough rest to restore.

 

I now see that I am not really looking for that one magic moment of perfect organization, or the fool-proof system that will make me Martha Stewart. I am longing for a life of rhythm that gives me the opportunity to live out my priorities with grace.

 

 

 

I am continually stunned by the relevance of Scripture. The answers--both clearly stated and extrapolated--are so practical. There is no way to condense an hour and a half class into ONE blog post, but consider this the beginning. I am going to continue to refine my thoughts about honoring the Sabbath as I work toward becoming a person of discipline who does what I believe. So, here is the beginning.

The Sabbath is rooted in creation. It is instructed in the Ten Commandments, but it was lived out in creation. Exodus 20:11 says, "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them. and rested on the seventh day; therefor the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." It is in the second chapter of Genesis that God originally spoke of resting on the seventh day.

However, as I continued to examine God's word, I noticed that before the seventh day of rest there were six days of creating. At the end of each day of creation, it was said, "And God looked at all that He had made, and indeed it was very good."

God certainly isn't asking me to create the universe out of nothing before I "earn" a day off, but perhaps He is showing me the value of giving each day of work the best I have to give. AND, on a practical note, taking the time at the end of each to day to look at all I have done and see if it is very good. 

The day of rest, as He has shown us, follows 6 days of productivity.

The rhythm of my life, as I would like to live it, has little room for laziness. The productivity of 6 days is followed by purposeful restoration that honors the Lord. The productivity is not lazy, but neither is the rest. The rest is a faithful act of obedience...