Has anybody cracked the code on how to take God's given day of rest once a week when you have kids in diapers?
Saturday, January 3, 2009
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because I am too hesitant, confident, ignorant, arrogant, chauvinistic, racist, nice, mean, speculative, uncertain, fearful or busy to mention in casual conversation.
Has anybody cracked the code on how to take God's given day of rest once a week when you have kids in diapers?
Posted by Theo at 1:10 PM
3 comments:
I am not sure what that means. I went to BLB and strong's concordance agrees with what I believe to be your notion of "rest," that is
1) to cease, desist, rest
a) (Qal)
1) to cease
2) to rest, desist (from labour)
b) (Niphal) to cease
c) (Hiphil)
1) to cause to cease, put an end to
2) to exterminate, destroy
3) to cause to desist from
4) to remove
5) to cause to fail
2) (Qal) to keep or observe the sabbath
I then suppose that changing a diaper is not resting, but neither is going to the bathroom yourself, or eating. I think changing diapers is an exception because it is not really work, it is spending time with your loved ones.
Ummm . . . in reading Sam's comment, I don't think that's what Theo is asking: whether the fact that he has to change diapers breaks the sabbath? I think what Theo is really asking is how can we find perpetual/regular "rest" when, by having young kids, we MUST work ALL THE TIME. We are always on duty -- Sundays (and all days) all look the same: a running to-do list of changing diapers, feeding, comforting, disciplining, changing, reading, playing, cleaning, folding, etc.
This question is pretty difficult. Maybe in this (all-too-short) season in our lives, rest is found in quick, sporadic bursts that quietly reflect on God's glory, not in long stretches of time. Maybe how we defined "rest" before was more a physical/mental thing (e.g., long naps and quiet time) when real "rest" is something less palpable -- a spiritual rest that can be achieved all the time in the midst of physical and mental toil? I don't really know what it looks like, but I assume it's what Hebrews 4 is talking about.
I am thrilled that such a short post sparked this interesting discussion.
Mostly I was tired of the babies incessant needs and it was Sunday so I wanted the 4th commandment to do something for me. This of course is not God's intent. Still, I feel it is worth figuring out what God means by taking a day of rest. I can think of a dozen things that I do on any other day that are "work," then come Sunday I re-categorize them as not work because they must be done or I want to do them but I don't want to feel guilty about it.
I wasn't exactly talking about Hebrews 4 but I think the Sabbath is a shadow of the rest that Hebrews 4 refers to. Now that I think about it, though, I think Elizabeth may be on to something.
No, I cannot have a full day of rest and I must take care of my children. So what if rest is defined by a perpetual spiritual state of basking in God's glory? Really I think that is what the Sabbath is all about, to appreciate God's glory. So is the rest of Hebrews 4, which I think is referring to our heavenly rest in the afterlife. But, now, having accepted Christ, we have already died to ourselves. Perhaps even now we should always be in this rest. In the meantime, the work that needs to be done by man on earth is a consequences of our sin in the garden.
Maybe God's rest is simply freedom from sin, as we would enjoy in heaven, but that we should really enjoy now. If it were possible to sustain continuous conscious thoughts about the reality of our salvation, we would be resting now. All the time. But, since we are still bound by these bodies and this world (and thus imperfect), God gave us a day to attempt this continuous conscious reflection. Now saved by Christ, I can change a diaper on the sabbath while savoring my salvation. And perhaps it wouldn't feel like it is as much work if I were thinking about how Jesus saved me.
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