In the last post I mentioned my decision to slow down and place rest ahead of work. Here are three things I learned:
1. You can’t rush rest. It takes a long time.
2. For me, the backlog of personal items coming to the surface was eye-opening. I was overdue on many, such as grieving years of losses and wounds, and expressing certain regrets to the Lord.
Plus, I’m no Jeremiah. I mentioned in the prior post that studying the great prophet inspired me to go before the Lord for some cathartic convo. But whereas Jeremiah calls down “double destruction” on his persecutors (17:18), I’m more likely to offer up a measured, “Gee-wiz, God, that one hurt. Could you help me forgive such and such . . . “ Or, in some cases, forgive myself.
3. Work really can flow from rest. Texts such as Psalm 1, where the one who meditates on the word of God “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season,” and John 15, where Jesus says, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” speak to the priority of rest and reflection before action.
So I guess I’m rethinking productivity these days. Productivity is not a bad concept in itself. I make no apology for diligent work. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ll be more productive — that is, more aligned with God’s agenda — when standing on the foundation of sabbath rest. I’m already seeing it happen.
Would you care to join me?
