Genesis 1:31

                                    “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy,

but I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

                                                John 10:10

“I know that there is nothing better from them than to be happy

                     and enjoy themselves as long as they live.”

                                           Ecclesiastes 3:12

     We are a driven people.  We are driven by desire for accomplishment, success, power, possessions, completion, even happiness.  To be driven is to be pushed even when we want to stop and rest, stop and look, stop and enjoy something.  There is no time for enjoyment in the midst of being driven.  Our culture lures us into thinking that the fulfillment of a desire will result in happiness, but at best it will be fleeting, because “enough will never be enough” in that kind of pursuit.  I have found that there are some much less affluent cultures in the world that move much slower and possess much less than ours, but ironically seem less stressed and more joyful than our own.  One of the interesting observations of the creation story is that it is at the end of each day’s work and the week’s work that God stops and recognizes how good everything is.  No wonder God’s last act of creation is to create the Sabbath.  What good is our accomplishment without taking time to enjoy it all?

    Again and again the scripture points to God’s desire that we would have joy and enjoy our lives.  Many of us work long and hard trying to provide opportunities for our children’s enjoyment because our desire is that that they know joy in their lives.  Our Heavenly Father feels the same about us.  How misguided are the ideas of joyless oppressive religion touting a demanding God who is constantly grading our work and expecting more and more from us.  Jesus revealed that it is the “thief” who comes to steal our joy, and that he comes to restore it by offering an abundant life.  Apparently he modeled such a way of living that the most religious of his day accused him of being a “glutton and a drunkard”.  Sabbath for Jesus wasn’t about what you couldn’t do (they wanted to kill him for restoring a man’s health and life on the Sabbath), but what you got to do and enjoy.  Sabbath is a time (during a day or week) for joy, laughter, and pleasure and for Jesus that was found in his relationship with God, family, and friends.

Practice:  Plan Sabbath time around something that brings real joy and pleasure in your life this week.  Plan to spend time with people you love with no other agenda than that you might know joy and give joy during your Sabbath time with them.

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