"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the whole Israelite army...But David remained in Jerusalem
The quote above begins the story of the fall of King David, a man after God's own heart. This eventually leads David to find Bathsheba, which draws him into a long path of sins before he finally repents. God intended for mankind to work, even in the garden. Idleness was not in the plan, and rarely leads to positive things.
There is a similar principle at work in the way that militaries keep their soldier busy during downtimes. Even if that means having them dig trenches all day, purely to keep them occupied and out of trouble. There are all sorts of stories of the troubles that soldiers find ways to get into during their downtimes when they aren't kept busy, especially in groups or for extended periods.
Now this must be weighed against the need for rest, which is legitimate. Rest is an important factor in the Bible, and we see it in everything from the Creation story to the Ten Commandments. So the question is, when does rest become idleness?
It is not yet Spring, but I still feel a need to start dong something useful. My break has been long enough, and I can see that it becoming more harmful than beneficial by this point. Rest can be a good thing, and I have erred against it in the past, but I am confident that is not the case this time.
I wrote this Monday night, and got a call two hours later, from someone who doesn’t even remember knowing me. It was about a promising potential building project at another local camp. So maybe God has heard me and agrees. Only time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment