As a parent of teenagers, I am no stranger to being told “I know what has to be done. You don’t have to keep reminding me.” And yet, what needs to be done so often remains undone without a little bit of nagging. My wife and I look around at the folded piles of laundry that aren’t taken up and put away unless we specifically say so. Or the little piles of candy wrappers on the end table sitting right next to the waste basket. Or the cereal bowl and spoon that don’t make it into the sink without a special invitation. I admit that there are times of frustration when I wonder if they’ve learned anything useful from me at all.
And then I wonder how frustrated our heavenly Father must be. After all, God has given us helpful advice and guidelines to live our best lives, but we always seem to ignore it. God’s word has shown us what to do and what not to do in order to take care of the planet, each other, and ourselves, yet we continue to “do those things which we ought not to do and leave undone those things which we ought to do.”
One of the things that God tells us to do is rest. Keep the Sabbath. It’s not a suggestion. It’s not a piece of advice. It is a commandment. God commands us to rest because it is good for us. We need time to recharge each week. We are less productive when we overwork ourselves. But very few of us are intentional about honoring the Sabbath with rest. We still seem to tell God “I know what has to be done. You don’t have to keep reminding me.” And yet, the chore list keeps getting longer. We keep telling ourselves that we’ll relax after the next task is completed. I imagine there must be times when God looks at us in frustration and wonders if we’ve learned anything useful at all.
PRAYER: Loving and gracious God, please continue to remind me of what I should and shouldn’t do. Help me to remember that your ways are always better than my ways. AMEN