First Steps – Monday, August 30, 2021

In a few days it will be Labor Day –  a holiday born out of the late 1800’s to honor the American worker.  For me, Labor Day is an opportunity to reclaim the importance of Sabbath.  Though many reduce Sabbath to a single day of rest, the concept is larger than a day.  It was given to help establish a proper rhythm for life.  Sabbath is about boundaries and margins. Both work and rest complement each other and hold each other in check.  We need them both but, in an appropriate balance.

In Genesis, God is seen as working and resting—a rhythm (Genesis 1 & 2). In Exodus 20, the Children of Israel are commanded to “remember the Sabbath day.”  This practice was to help them remember that they were no longer a commodity—they once were in Egypt under Pharaoh.  They lived as commodities for so long that they saw themselves as only the product of their hands.   

Everyone needs a rhythm and to be reminded that they are not a commodity.  Work, Rest, Work, Rest…that is the rhythm.  You are more than a commodity; therefore, why live beneath what God desires for you? This week reclaim your true value as a person in God.  Work and Rest are equally valuable, especially when they are held in balance.