Sabbath Rest in a Restless WorldSample

Time to Play?

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. (v. 41)

My work had piled up, so I brought it home. Suddenly my three-year-old daughter came running up and said, “Daddy, westle Abby!” I told her after my work was done, but she refused to take no for an answer. So I closed my laptop, and we had an epic “westling” match on the living room floor. It was just what I needed.

The Sabbath is an invitation to play. Even further, a Sabbath heart brings an attitude of playfulness to all of life and work. In today’s Bible reading, Martha is distracted by many things and takes herself much too seriously. Perhaps Jesus gently rebukes her not because she’s working, but because her work is void of playfulness. Rather than enjoying Jesus’s company, Martha resents her sister for not helping out.

The 16th-century reformer Martin Luther was once with a fellow pastor who wanted to have a serious theological debate about the governance of the universe. Luther turned to him and said, “No, my friend, today you and I shall go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God.”

Isn’t it wonderful we have a God who takes his job seriously so we can take time to play? Set your work aside and go fishing, get enraptured in a good book, play a board game with friends, or get down on the floor and “westle” with your kids. It may be just what you need.

As you pray, ask God to give you a spirit of playfulness today as you go about your tasks.