Dude Skill #6: REST – Part 2
#32 IN MY SERIES OF POSTINGS DEDICATED TO SUMMARIZING A WONDERFUL BOOK ENTITLED “THE DUDE’S GUIDE TO MARRIAGE: TEN SKILLS EVERY HUSBAND MUST DEVELOP TO LOVE HIS WIFE WELL” BY DARRIN & AMIE PATRICK.
Imitating God In Rest
We can imitate God by doing good work, not being hurried in our work, actually ceasing from our work, and then celebrating our work.
We Do Good Work
The biblical narrative tells us that God was quite busy for six days. He created both the visible and the invisible worlds. If you have traveled much or at least have noticed the physical world through all forms of media, you know that God did pretty well.
One reason we don’t rest well is that we don’t work hard. Sociologists have been throwing around the concept of “weisure” a lot in the past few years. Weisure, the blurring of work and leisure, was directed at the encroachment of work into rest. our increased accessibility through smartphones and tablets has expanded our office space. but it’s also enabling us to take our play into our work with us, distracting us from our necessary tasks.
Husbands, you have to look at yourself in the mirror on this one. Let me give you some questions to consider:
Am I Giving My Best At Work?
is my employer (if I work for someone else), or my dream (if I work for myself), being served well? Am I giving my attention and energy to my job?
Am I Giving My Best At Home?
Does my wife believe that I am all in for her? Does she feel my affection? Would she say that I am attentive to her? When I am, do I give her the focus that she deserves? Do I know the hearts — not just the actions — of my children? Do I know my kids’ friends, not just their names? Would my children say they have my undivided attention?
We Refuse To Be Hurried In Our Work
It is impossible to rest well when you are rushed. One part of Christian theology I love is that God is revealed as one who is never in a hurry. Maybe part of how to tap into rest is to approach life without hurry.
Years ago, I was listening to one of my spiritual heroes, John Ortberg. he was talking about a time when he spent one hour with one of his spiritual heroes, Dallas Willard. He came up with a question to ask his mentor, thinking, “I”m going to ask this question and then let him talk for like an hour.” The question was this: “How can I deepen my relationship with God?” How can I really know God? How can I really experience God? That is the heart of the question. With his pen and paper ready, he asked the question, and his mentor responded, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Full stop. John waited for more information, but his mentor just looked at him in silence. The mentoring session was over.
Hurry is dangerous, if not toxic, to resting well. If your whole week is a flurry of activity devoid of rest, you will approach the sabbath the same way. If I am frantic all week, I use most of my sabbath detoxing instead of refreshing. Many of us live frantic lives, full of multi-tasking, clutter, and relational shallowness. We feel dominated by life. We run from one things to another in this sleep-deprived state bolstered only by caffeine, sugar, and the constant stimulus from our dumb smartphones. This causes us to be unthoughtful and unimaginative in our jobs. God has given us an opportunity to weave rest, which is the opposite of hurriedness, into the fabric of our schedules and our very souls.
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