A rhythm of rest
Seeing rest as a gift in the family business (Exodus 16:29-30)
My previous post contemplated God’s daily provision of manna as symbolic of the importance of focusing on today — the here and now — in the family business. As Israel continues their journey in the wilderness, God provides a double portion of manna on the sixth day, so that they can rest on the seventh:
See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 16:29-30)
God gave two omers of manna (about four liters or four quarts) to the Isrealites on the sixth day, so that they would not have to look for food on the seventh. They could take it easy. This mirrors God’s own pattern of resting on the seventh day. The idea is that there is a specific time, a holy day, to recover from your exertion, to worship God and to reflect on what has been created.
During my summers in western Kansas, I remember my grandparent’s approach to the Sabbath. The morning started just a little later than the rest of the week. Breakfast was a little heartier and relaxed. They would read a devotion or study the Bible quietly after getting ready for church, and we drove slower to Sunday worship (and yes, I thought we drove too slow). Lunch was a big deal with a lot of food, and the afternoon was for visiting friends, taking naps, or simply seeing the country. Other than irrigating crops or feeding livestock, no “work” was done.
Now that I’m older, and after having experienced the ownership and leadership of a business, I appreciate the gift in a day of rest. But it often feels like we can’t afford to rest, that there is too much to do, too many responsibilities, to not work. Taking a real break can be more difficult that we imagine.
Do you and your family members view rest as an important practice in your family business? How might you incorprate certain strategies (a day off, a “digital Sabbath,” a retreat, etc.) to make rest more pronounced?