“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:1)

Some of you may know that Monday is my day off–my own Sabbath or day of rest. I try to limit things I do for work so I’m usually pretty good about not checking my UVC email account and I also record a voice-mail greeting saying I’ll be away from my phone for the day. I take the kids to school and pick them up on Mondays so I have a block of time from about 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. where it’s just me and (hopefully) a blank calendar. Sometimes I do a pretty good job of resting. Other times, I feel the temptation to be “productive” (run errands, get things done around the house, etc.) 

I woke up yesterday morning, though, and felt tired, like I could use another Sabbath. And then I thought about Monday. It was a productive day. I did a lot of filing of papers and paying bills. I picked up the dry cleaning. I did some cleaning around our home. I picked up the kids and dropped them off and took my daughter to her softball game and watched that. These are all good things, but it made me realize that keeping Sabbath is something I need to always, ironically, work on.

The photo is from Jackson Park and was taken about a year ago when my daughter and I took a bike ride. It was a great day of rest and reconnecting with God and family. I realize that for some, Sabbath is a luxury, because there are thousands who have to work numerous jobs to make ends meet. But it’s an oft-stated truism that even God took a day off (Genesis 2:2). 

Rest is good. Sleep is good. (A monk once told me that falling asleep during prayer can be a gift!) Doing nothing is good. The world will still spin and life will still be there when you’re done resting. Hopefully, though, after lying down in the green pastures, you’ll be a little bit more refreshed and renewed. And, yes, more productive.