Monday, October 20, 2008

Construction Worker Sabbath

Right now where I work, at Stone Gardens Climbing Gym, we are undergoing a huge construction project. We are enlarging our weight room and adding a new bouldering area on the second floor. Thus, each day I spend a decent amount of time with the crew who is doing the work. I've been really impressed with that team. They are hard workers and do a great job as well. They don't mess around or spend their time chatting with each other. When they are supposed to be working, they really ARE.

The thing that has really caught my attention, however, is their willingness to take breaks. They work hard for a while, but when it is time to take a break, they really know how to rest. They enjoy each other's company and are often seen taking walks together to the local coffeehouse, steeped in conversation.

I think this is such a good picture of what Sabbath is meant to look like. We are designed to work hard, but at the same time called to rest, and rest well. I fear that we, as Christians, fail in this area in a number of ways. We either don't rest at all and find ourselves succumbing to a workaholic spirit, rest too much and fall into laziness, or as we try to rest we still end up filling our schedules with busyness that doesn't allow us to be replenished. May we be people who understand the rhythms of life we were created to live into and be willing to follow this God-given cadence.

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