And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath." -- Mark 2: 27-28
I am guilty of living my life for the rest at the end of the day. I'm guilty of ordering my life around the times when I get to sit on the couch and lose myself in a TV show or a novel, finally putting my feet up and letting the world deal with its own problems.
This isn't a new phenomenon.
We see it all the way back into Genesis; the desire of humanity to do as little work as possible and reap the benefits all the same.
In the story of Joseph, his brothers sell him to Ishmaelites who then sell him to a man named Potiphar who was an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Rather than focusing on Joseph this time, I want us to look at Potiphar. He was a rich man with high standing in the government. There was a lot at stake when he decided to put Joseph in charge of his household. But Genesis 39:5-6 says, "From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in the house and field. So he left all he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate."
This is the life I find myself striving for. This is the life celebrities tend to portray--a life without a care in the world.
This is why we have a retirement age and why when people retire they tend to live it up as if they're on a permanent vacation.
But that is not how we are called to live. The call of the Lord to love and make disciples didn't come with a retirement* policy.
Humans weren't created to rest the days of our lives away. We weren't made for the Sabboth. The Sabboth was made for us to provide necessary rest from work.
How are you going to make sure you're staying involved in work this week?
*Please note, I believe there are ways to both enjoy retirement and continue working for God. I do not advocate people remaining in a 9-5 job past the retirement age. In fact I believe retired persons have the ability to have an incredible impact on the world for God, given the nature of their different rhythms and the fact that they do have time in a different way than those in the workforce do. Retirement is simply a good image to use in reference to the ideal life we can tend to strive for, regardless of whether or not it is God's ideal life for us.
J. J. Hanna is a writer and reader who loves God and wants to help encourage others with what she knows and what she's learning. Answer her questions with a quick note and connect with her on social media. She's excited to hear from you!
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