From Forward Day by Day
Exodus 16:23b “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD.”
Not long after I posted a blog about downshifting into summer mode, a colleague wrote to thank me. She noticed the infectious busy-ness that some clergy and other church leaders model. I get caught up in that “if I feel busy, I must be doing things right” mentality, too.
Thanks be to God for reminders like this one from Exodus, for the commandment to take Sabbath rest. Even, and perhaps especially, in the wilderness times, we are called back to rest in God’s presence and remember that God is God and we are not. We are called to rest from the busy-ness we create and trust God.
Sabbath rest, no matter what day of the week we observe it, creates time and space for our own soul work. It can stand as a witness to a way of life that honors our whole selves, as creatures made in God’s image. God, who worked to create for six days then took a day of rest, made us to desire meaningful work—and to take meaningful rest.
