When someone asks how you’re doing, how do you typically respond? For many of us, we have a default answer: “I’m so busy!”
As true as this reply may be, when “busy” is our default status, it can start to become part of our identity. It’s painful to admit, but we can easily fall into the trap of advertising our busyness as proof of our value or importance.
We could try to defend our busy identities from a spiritual perspective. We could point out that the more we produce, the more resources we can acquire, and then the more we’ll have to be generous. However, the problem is that generosity doesn’t come from mere productivity but from our identity as God’s children.
The Lord understands the human tendency to equate our worth with personal output. Perhaps this is why He created the concept of Sabbath—a necessarily regular opportunity to remind ourselves of our true identity.
The Hebrew word for Sabbath is “Shabbat.” It means “rest” or “ceasing.” Sabbath is a unique concept. No other ancient society outside of God’s people observed the Sabbath. As we know, the reason for this is traced back to the creation narrative in the book of Genesis. In the first six days, God created the universe. Upon completion, He did something out of character: He did nothing.
Later in the Bible, God’s people are commanded to keep the Sabbath, emulating His example during the creation of the world. Even though the command to keep a ritual Sabbath no longer binds Christians, we would do well to consider regular rest. Here are a few reasons why Sabbath rest can unleash our generosity.
First, rest is a reminder to trust God.
Sabbath rest reminds us that the Lord is our true provider. In ancient times, when the Lord first commanded his people to keep the Sabbath, observing it was an act of faith. If you did not work each day, you might not eat, and there was no refrigeration or way to store food long-term. In practicing Sabbath rest, they trusted that the Lord would continue to supply them with enough manna to eat, and they witnessed His faithfulness to them as a result. Establishing our own patterns of rest can remind us that the Lord is truly in control of all things.
Second, rest is a reminder that we our human
In the Ten Commandments, when God commands His people to rest, He includes a specific list of those who should not do any work on the Sabbath. In short, it includes everyone. Just as farmers let fields lie dormant for a season, God has designed us to rest for our own flourishing. The need for rest is a hallmark of being human, and a built-in reminder that we are not God. When we pause from work, it helps us remember that the Lord asks for our contributions and they are also not necessary for His will to be done.
Finally, rest is a reminder of our identity as God’s children.
Sabbath rest reminds us that our identity is not tied to our work but to our God. Work is a gift from the Lord and something in which we can delight. But we are not robots that exist only to complete work, and working harder does not earn us more of God’s love. God calls us to pause our work to rest and to commune with Him. He desires our hearts, not just the work of our hands.
Practicing regular, thoughtful rest—Sabbath rest—can help us internalize the truths that that the Lord is our provider, that we depend on him, and our identity is not bound up in the work we do but rather in the Lord who loves and delights in us. Reminding ourselves of these crucial truths can then fuel our generosity.
Sabbath rest must always be grounded in Christ. His invitation in Matthew 11:28–29 is for you:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
