Work From Rest, Not For it
I am a recovering workaholic, a product of the American system of productivity and efficiency. More, faster, bigger, better. This postmodern mentality nearly cost me everything. For many years I derived almost the totality of my sense of worth and value from those things that I could accomplish. Like so many others, I had an identity problem.
Given that our culture “blesses” the obsessively productive, even within the context of church and church planting, my self-harming rhythms were celebrated, which only fed my ill behaviour.
Eventually, I burned out. I was left completely exhausted and devoid of even the desire to maintain the mission God gave me.
My story is not exceptional or unusual.
According to the International Labour Organisation, “Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more hours per year than British workers, and 499 more hours per year than French workers.” Yet, it has not gained us any ground on our standard of living.
Using data by the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics, the average productivity per American worker has increased 400% since 1950. One way to consider this statistic is it should only take one-quarter of the work hours needed in 1950, or 11 hours per week, to afford the same standard of living as a worker in 1950—or our standard of living should be four times higher.
What is happening here? Why are we working more for less? Why are we running so hard on this treadmill with so little payoff?
If I may be so bold to make this statement, which I am convinced is true, somewhere deep down, sometimes spoken, but most often unspoken—we believe rest is for the weak.
We think rest is for the week, and if we stop, if we slow, if we reflect, we will lose out or get left behind. We believe that doing more is the only path to the life we want to live, and it is robbing us of the abundant life Jesus promised.
For most of us, our rhythm is to work until we cannot, crash into vacation and repeat the cycle. We do not reflect. We do not delight. God did not intend that for us, and it is certainly not His best.
What change is required, then, for us to get off this train? God is inviting each of us to work from rest. I know that may sound strange but really consider it. What if we flipped the paradigm?
The rhythm God offers us flows joyfully from rest to work to rest. His Sabbath rhythm reflects the rhythm that undergirds—as we saw—all of creation.
All work—paid and unpaid—is good, but it needs the boundary lines of Sabbath rest to be fulfilling in the way God intended truly. Regular rest is a restraint God has built into our lives; it is a reminder that we are dependent people.
Rest reminds us that we are not in control.
Rest recalibrates our souls, helping us remember Who keeps the world turning.
Do you think the world is going to collapse around you if you rest from your work? Is your life going to fall apart? Are your dreams going to slip away? If you think any of those thoughts or any similar, then today is all the more vital.
But where do we start, especially if we have never taken Sabbath rest seriously? We reorient our lives to the work from rest—work from rest. Work from rest, which will require you to take the time to build in a Sabbath rhythm.
Peter Scazzero, in his book The Emotionally Healthy Leader, defines four characteristics that anchor a Sabbath rhythm and distinguish Sabbath rest from a routine “day off.”
Sabbath rest is a twenty-four-hour block of time in which we stop work, enjoy rest, practice delight, and contemplate God. For 24 hours:
Stop. Cease all work and creating—paid and unpaid.
Rest. Accept God’s invitation to rest. Engage in things that replenish and restore your mind, body, and soul.
Delight. Accept God’s invitation to enjoy and delight in His creation. Reflect on the good work you accomplished during the week.
Contemplate. Ponder the love of God in everything, from the mundane to the miraculous.
My work week is typically Sunday through Thursday. Most of you work in the Marketplace, so unlike me, you do not work on Sunday. I share this distinction with you because my Sabbath is from 6 pm Friday to 6 pm Saturday.
Friday during the day, which is my day off, Breanna and I do all of the advanced planning necessary to enjoy Sabbath: running errands, grocery shopping, cooking our Sabbath Meal etc.
You all will likely have to shift this a day or so since most work weeks are Monday through Friday, but the goal is to take a solid twenty-four hours, and stop, rest, delight, and contemplate.
Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ring loudly right now.
There is an invitation for you. If we believe in Jesus, why do we not rest? Sabbath is an act of faith and worship as much as it is one of rest. Taking a Sabbath is our confident response to Jesus’ invitation of a light yoke and burdens laid down.
Take His invitation today, and experience the fullness God has for you. You may indeed find that delightful path of abundant life and flourishing.