Does Anyone Take a Day of Rest Anymore?

Amy Julia Becker published a great piece on her blog thinking about Andy Crouch’s new book Playing God— about power– and the Sabbath. In her piece, Becker asks: are there any Christians who take a day of rest anymore?

My soul is restless, even though God has invited me to rest in the truth, love, and grace of the gospel. My soul believes that a clean kitchen will give me peace. My soul believes that control over my schedule will give me joy. And as Crouch points out, such idolatry inevitably becomes intertwined with injustice. In my case, the injustice takes the form of insisting other people must serve my needs in a 24/7 cycle, or in denying my children the time they are due, or in failing to receive the rest I need as a limited creature who will then go out into the world for the next six days as one who represents Christ’s love.

But surrendering my power over our household for this one day of the week restores me to my proper place as a steward of it, and as one who does not serve the tyranny of the pages of Good Housekeeping or Real Simple but rather as one who serves the God of order and blessing, the God who can let some dishes sit in the sink so that I can read a book, or take a walk, or cuddle with my children.

Read the whole piece here. I made a point of committing to taking a day of rest on Sundays when I started my first graduate program years ago, and it’s a struggle. But it’s interesting how it’s changed the way I think about work and about my own “necessary-ness” to the world.