Readings for today: Exodus 22-24
One of the few things everyone seems to agree on these days is the growing mental health crisis in America. So much is made of the levels of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions that erode our quality of life and seem to present insurmountable barriers to human flourishing. Sadly, too many turn to pharmaceuticals for answers. Opioids. Psychotropics. Pot. Now let me be quick to say I am not against taking medication to correct chemical imbalances. I myself have been taking a pill every day since I was about 23 to correct my thyroid condition. So I get it on some level. However, it is clear to many that we are an over-medicated society. We seem unwilling to make the kind of lifestyle changes necessary to protect our physical, mental, and emotional health. One of the main areas we see this is in our addiction to work.
"Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” (Exodus 23:12)
Imagine you are an Israelite. You’ve just been set free from slavery. From an existence where you were forced to endure a life of hard labor. Seven days a week. Four weeks a month. 52 weeks a year. Never a day off. Never allowed to rest. Never allowed to take a break and a breath and just relax. This is the only life you’ve know and it is the only life your ancestors have known for generations. It would be tempting to assume this is just how life is. You’re born. You work. You die. But God has a different plan for His people. He doesn’t view His people primarily as cogs in a machine or tools to be used or commodities to be used up but as creatures made in His image. As such, they literally have hardwired into their DNA a divine rhythm. A way of life modeled after the life of God. God works six days and rests. Human beings work six days and then rest. On a very practical level this is what it means to follow God.
Most psychologists will tell you the root of our mental health crisis begins with our lack of sleep. Human beings are biologically designed to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Furthermore, we are not robots. We were not made to work 24/7. We must get rest. We must take a break. We need downtime. When we don’t get these things, we end up anxious and afraid. We end up depressed and struggling with despair. Left unchecked, we engage in self-harm and entertain thoughts of suicide.
What solution does God offer us in the midst of our addiction to work and busyness? Sabbath. Rest. One day a week where we refrain the work we do the other six days. A break. A day dedicated to worship and rest and restorative practices. A day devoted to recovery. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally from the toil and trials of the rest of the week. What does it look like? Depends on the person. Jesus said, “Sabbath is made for man not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, Sabbath is a gift. It is given to us to use for our own benefit. As such, it will look different for every person.
God is passionate about us keeping a Sabbath because God is passionate about the health of His people. He longs for us to experience rest. Relaxation. Peace. Hope Joy. These are the fruits of a Sabbath lifestyle. So take a moment and examine your life. Do you take one day out of every seven to rest? To relax? To refrain from the activities you do the other six days? Do you intentionally set aside time for worship? For yourself? For those activities that fill your soul? How are you seeking to maintain the divine rhythm hardwired into your soul?
Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 25-28