The Work/Rest Cycle

Repetition
We live in a world and a reality filled with cycles, do we not?  What I've noticed is that many of us have a fear of those cycles.  We become afraid to get "into a rut" and try to avoid doing the same things all the time, lest those things start to lose their meaning.  I have this fear as well, so I definitely get that.  But sometimes I wonder if we go overboard and forget that repetition can have intense benefits.  Repetition can be the engine of discipline if we allow it to be.

And it's already a big part of our lives.  Every morning, the sun comes up at a predictable time.  Every evening we, at some point, find ourselves asleep.  And it all starts again the next day.  Cycle.

Many of us start our days with a cup of coffee, but I like to do it with a cup of tea.  And I love it.  Sometimes I wonder if having my cup of tea every morning will eventually make the enjoyment I get from it empty and meaningless, so maybe I should be careful.

Which can be true, if I allow it.

Or it can help drive a powerful start to an ordered day.

I don't think it's the act or the repetition, but rather the meaning that we intentionally give to it that makes the difference.

A realization
I had realization yesterday.

The realization was that I haven't had a day off in several weeks, if not longer.  I work a 9-5, Monday-Friday job, so I have admittedly had the weekends away from my occupation.  But I still haven't really had a day off.  You already know how this goes...the house needs cleaned, projects need completed, social events and service projects need to be planned and attended.  You run and hang out and do and complete and spend 22 minutes chilling on the couch in front of the tv (if you're lucky)...and before you know what happened, it's time to hit the bed Sunday night with hopefully enough sleep to be up and productive at work the next morning.

I shouldn't be surprised because that is how I've structured my life.  In fact that's how most of us Westerners have structured our lives.  For good and bad, we function in a frantic, 24-7, always-on, super productive mode all of the time.

And it's killing us.  Because that this is not how we are designed to function.

God's work... and rest
As I've written before, I believe that we have been created in the image of our Creator God.  And being in His image means that His intentions for us are rooted in His own character and the way He relates to us.

And God simply does not describe Himself as a workaholic.  Nor does he invite us into that lifestyle.

For proof of this, we only need to visit the beginning of the first book of the bible which describes how God created and ordered the cosmos.  Over the course of six days, there is a fascinating progression of separation and ordering from chaotic raw materials to something that we recognize as the planet we inhabit.  And then the story goes somewhere completely unexpected...after the sixth day, God took the seventh day and rested.  Six days of work.  One day of rest.

Now, whether each of those days are meant to be interpreted as literal 24 hour periods of time or whether the language is meant to be poetic and symbolic does not at all affect this point.  Because regardless, God clearly models a work/rest cycle for us.

Not only that but he also invites us, even commands us, to take part in this reality.

There is a Hebrew word, shābath, that means "to rest" and this word makes up the core of one of the ten commandments revealed by God to Moses as described in the book of Exodus.  When giving ten simple commands, which were to be the building blocks of morality and obedience for the Hebrew people at that time, God decides that this work/rest cycle is important enough include in the list.

He wouldn't have modeled and commanded it, if it wasn't good for us and a part of our design.

Sabbath as a discipline
I'm now seeing an elegance and cleverness to the way this work/rest cycle has been designed for us.  Follow my logic for a moment:  A balance of work and rest is inherently good for us because that is how God is and that is how He has designed us.  He knows that repetition can turn something (like enjoying a strong cup of tea to get the day started) into a habit or discipline that will stick in our lives.  And so God reveals shābath and even commands us to practice it.

He really does want to give us good things.  This rest is one of them.

What does rest "look like?
OK, I'm convinced, you're convinced, we're convinced that this is a good thing.  Now, the next question then is what is this Sabbath rest supposed to look like?

Jesus was challenged by the religious leaders of the time about this very question and he had an marvelous answer for them.  They were accusing Him of healing on the Sabbath (which was against the religious laws at the time), and responded that "man was not made for the Sabbath, but rather Sabbath was made for man".

I think the essence of what he was teaching and one working definition of Sabbath could be: whatever refreshes you and centers you.  For example, I have a desk job for my occupation and many of my extra-curricular activities tend to be social and creative, so for me a day of rest must include exercising and having some alone time.  In addition, I need time outside, preferably on trails or in wooded areas.  Those activities refresh me and center me.

I believe that another major reason for giving us the work/rest cycle, is that God desires space in our lives and hearts for relationship with Him.  In light of that, what activities can we engage in that carve out space and openness for this relationship?  Prayer, reading scripture and creative expressions of worship all are great forms of fostering that connection with God and should probably be considered for any Sabbath time.

Another consideration...ideally it should be 24 hours.  Now, I'm not saying that less time is not helpful or that we can't enjoy some balance by taking a few hours here and there to recenter and refresh.  I'm just saying that God was clear in the scriptures and He knows us better than we know ourselves, so if He says that 6 to 1 is the proper "work to rest ratio" for our time and energies, I'm thinking we should pay attention to that.

What does this mean?
Honestly, I'm not yet sure what this all means.  I long and desire to find the rest into which God invites us, but my schedule clearly has not reflected that in the past and looking ahead doesn't appear to consistently any time soon.

As with most habits and disciplines, we certainly need to start somewhere.  I think I see nearly a full day of space in my schedule this coming weekend, so I think that's where I'll start.  I'm already looking forward to it!

As always, I wish you blessings on your journey, fellow traveller.  I pray that it also includes some much-needed rest.

-Michael

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What about you?  How is your work/rest balance in your life?  Do you trust that God knows what He's talking about when He prescribes six days of work for one of rest?  What simple step could you take to try this out?

A Model of the Creative Process

An informative conversation

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to have a fun conversation with a gentleman about the creative process.  I was able to share with him my vision of exploring and encouraging others in the creative endeavors that have been designed for all of us to do.  And it turns out that he had a unique and informed perspective on that very subject;  he was a retired professor from an art and design school.  I always enjoy seeing great "coincidences" like this happen.

In the midst of the conversation, he had a couple thought-provoking nuggets to share that I'm still chewing on.  He told me two interesting ideas:

1. The largest hindrance in the expression of an individual's creative gifts is a lack of skill in their craft.  
2. And following a simple model, as in a way of looking at the creative journey, is the best way to gather and hone those skills.  And it turns out that process is actually rather simple:
1. Create something to the best of your current skill
2. Evaluate what you've created (internally and through others' eyes) and decide how you would do it differently (i.e. with more excellence) next time
3. Create something else with this new knowledge
4. Repeat (a lot)

So, there you have it.  Seems simple enough.

A couple thoughts

As I've been processing my own creative journey in light of this conversation, I've had a couple realizations.  

The first is that these kinds of meetings with those who have gone before me are critical to my development.  I need people to help me obtain wisdom from their own experience--mistakes and successes included.  I need others to speak to me in such a way that I stop deluding myself in thinking that have things figured out.  I need opportunities to humble myself and really listen and learn from others wiser and more experienced than myself.

Also, I need to be changed from the inside out, formed into someone with more character to actually be able to do this effectively.  This one hurts a little to realize, but it's true.

The second is that embracing the simplicity of the above steps could really bring freedom to my creating.  So much of what seems to stop me from moving forward is my own over-complication of the process which then makes me think that I don't have enough time or enough mental energy to accomplish anything worthwhile.

So I question why I should even start.

But the simplicity of the above process flies in the face of that thought.  Perhaps the steps could be rewritten "1. Just show up 2. Pay attention to what you've done 3. Keep showing up and paying attention."  That seems a bit more manageable in our overburdened day-to-day lives, right?

Thinking in a new way

So, I invite you to join me in thinking about our creative journeys in this new way.

Perhaps I should try this model for a while, see how it goes, adjust and keep going from there.

Yeah. that sounds like a good start.

-Michael

What about you?  Have you thought about the process of excelling in your gifts?  Do you have wise people speaking into your lives about your craft?