This term I have spent a fair bit of time talking to staff and parents.
I have observed that people are feeling tired and super busy. I worry that we can get lost or even drown in this busyness that haunts us. Is there a solution? The answer is ‘yes’, and no surprise it is found in the 10 commandments.
“12 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. - Deuteronomy 5:12
This cool little command has 2 parts.
Firstly, God calls his people to remember to rest at least one day a week (v.12-14). He knows that busyness breeds forgetfulness. He knows that the urgent things in life can make people forget the important things in life – we can be literally bullied by busyness. Rest gives clarity.
Secondly, when God called his people to stop, rest, and be, he also commands them to remember who they are. God wants his people to remember that are no longer slaves but free (v.15). Resting is an expression of freedom - only slaves work 7 days a week.
What do we do with this 3,500 year old command? Live it - nothing has changed.
If you are a Christian, stop, rest, and remember who you are and who God is. You have been saved by God and freed from sin when Jesus came, died, and rose again. Take a day off to reflect on that – be thankful and repurpose your coming week.