This past Fourth of July weekend was an opportunity for me to practice Sabbath. And I did, sort of. I guess I'm still trying to get the hang of it. I'm the kind of person who likes to be busy. On the weekends, I like to have a plan - "Today we are going to do yard work, and run errands, and then meet our friends for dinner." And I'm realizing that having a scheduled day off like this isn't all that different than having a normal workday schedule. The tasks are just different. A to-do list filled day off isn't the same thing as Sabbath.
In his book, Allender addresses this when he critiques other books that make the Sabbath out to be a day to rest and recharge. Recharge for what? Recharge so we can get back to work, and be busy again? I agree with Allender that there is a deeper issue here. He puts it this way: "We are driven because our work brings us power and pride that dulls our deeper desire for delight. We are far more practiced and comfortable with work than play."
I know that is true of me. I'm much better at work than I am at play. So it seems that I've got to start thinking about Sabbath in a whole new way. I need to begin treating it as a holy day. Holy means set aside, not lost in the sea of everything else. It is different than any other day of the week. It should be set apart from those other days that are filled with to-do lists and tasks. And I suppose the hope is that in practicing a holy day, that holiness might creep into the other days as well.
0 comments:
Post a Comment