“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” ~ Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)
My little girl, Mae Cat, is just getting old enough to play hide and seek… sort of. How we play is I hide around the kitchen corner and call out, “Mae Cat, where are you?” She comes looking for the sound of my voice, and when she rounds the corner and sees me, she starts giggling. Then, she turns around and goes back around the corner to wait for me to call again.
Recently, I was praying, and God showed me a little vision in my imagination. I could see myself like a little child playing hide and seek. I called out, “Abba, where are you?” And then started laughing as I ran toward where God was hiding.
The meaning of that vision is found in the commandment to remember the Sabbath day. We tend to take ourselves too seriously. But the Sabbath reminds us to rest from our responsibilities and be God’s children. Do you remember when you were a child? You didn’t have a care in the world! You could laugh and play and enjoy life without worry. That’s what the Sabbath is supposed to be—24 hours to enjoy life without worry or the cares of work. Jews who keep the Sabbath even do their laundry, grocery runs, and meal prep the day before so that they don’t end up using their day of rest to catch up around the house.
God has good works for you to do (Eph 2:10). But he doesn’t only want to work with you—he wants to sing with you, rejoice with you, and even play with you. He loves you. He wants to spend time with you, not just at a worship service or church program but in your home. And, speaking from experience, rest and laughter with God provides the greatest motivation, commitment, and joy for the work he’s given you to do.
God reminded me not to take myself too seriously but to enjoy being his child by making rest and play regular habits. What is God speaking to you?