Take a Sabbath (rest), or a Sabbath will take you. That is the lesson I learned this week. For about two weeks some kind of sickness has been chasing me around, but never quite caught me. During that time I ignored two things that came back to haunt me. First, I ignored my body. It was practically screaming at me to REST. Slow down a bit. But of course I couldn’t do that. Much was going on. Much work to be done, VBS, Sermons, Visitation, etc. There will always be much to do. So I figured I can just push through, tough it out, and be just fine. I argued with my body. My body won. Second and more importantly I ignored the command of God. It is not for nothing that God tells us to take Sabbath rest. He designed our bodies to need it, in fact setting the example for us before the fall of man by resting from creation on the 7th day.
So, I did not heed the call. This week, the Sabbath I neglected took me over. On Monday night I hit a wall. Went to bed at 9:30 (1st time in years) and when I woke up Tuesday morning I couldn’t even get out of bed. I was weak, feverish, sweats, headache, sinus aches, miserable. For almost 3 days I couldn’t be out of bed for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. It was the worst I’ve felt since I had mono in 11th grade.
Americans place much value on hard work. I believe it is a perfectly fine value, and strive for it at all times. Yet it is quite possible that we value it out of proportion. We in fact wind up idolizing it to a place where we ignore the clear mandate to rest. When we do that we are asking for trouble. It may catch up to you in 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 years, or 20 years, but if you live a life without taking regular Sabbath rest then Sabbath rest will eventually take you. It will bend and break you to the point where you are left without a choice but to listen. I would far rather willingly do this then let it happen to me. We ought to value hard work while at the same time valuing good rest. Neither out of proportion. Both under God and to His glory. Work with all your might, and rest with the same vigor!
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