If I had to describe the hardest aspect about the Sabbath (and personally, the most shocking), it would be the fact that Sabbath is a waste of time.  In fact, I feel guilty just typing out that sentence.  Perish the thought!

A waste of time?

Let’s face it.  Anything that can be categorized into being a “waste of time” comes with it a whole string of negative connotations.  Inefficient.  Lazy.  Throw-away.  To add to my own list of words that come to mind, I looked up the word, “waste”, in the thesaurus, and these words came up:  indulgence, immoderacy, carelessness, short-sightedness… just to name a few.  Could there possibly be an aspect to this waste of time on the Sabbath that is good for us?

If you’re thinking that Sabbath isn’t a waste of time, you can just stop that thought process here.  I heard Pastor Pete say that it is several times already, and whatever he says goes, so there.  ::sarcastic grin::   All kidding aside, for a time hoarder like myself, this concept of the Sabbath being a waste of time is a huge hurdle to overcome.  I’m that person who is ultra-conscious about how short life is.  I’m that person who rarely watches TV or movies for fear of those 2 or 3 hours being thrown away into the wind (unless I know it will significantly impact how I think about life).  I’m that person who desires every breathing moment to count, who so needs life to mean more than what meets the eye, who needs purpose to wake up in the morning.  I’m that person who stays up late into the night in a frivolous attempt to extend the day, in hopes that I could get that one more thing done.  I reach out every day and grab the sands of time by its throat, desperately trying to hold on tight as it slips through my fingers.  And though I don’t express it often, I grieve the loss of time.  Deeply.

Time is such an elusive and mysterious concept.  There was no time before time began.  And there will be no time once it ends.  And it will end one day.  There is no beginning or end without time, actually.  Time exists because of humanity.  In the light of eternity, time holds no significance.  When we see Jesus face to face, there won’t be such a constraint as time.  Our existence will transcend time… just as God exists outside the confines of time.  It’s hard to grasp, honestly.  I really can’t imagine BEING without time.  But I look forward to the day because then I won’t have this burden of trying to make life work out in the boundaries of time.  Essentially, that’s what life is.  A limited range of time.  And the more I think about that, the more I want to do more.  I’m saying more a little too much, aren’t I?  I have a feeling I’ll be saying it even more as this post progresses.

Back to doing more.  Yes.  I want to do more.  I’m in that “Oh, I wish the day consisted of 25 hours” camp.  If there was a way we could all vote on it and somehow miraculously add one more hour to the day and add that many more hours to the human life, I’d be the first in line for that ballot.  This scares me.  First of all, I’m not even a busy-body and I’m saying this.  I am not in a frenzy to get things done.  I’m pretty slow in nature (those who hear me laugh about 2 seconds after everyone else pursuant to a joke in a sermon would know) and I do like to take my time with things and do things really thoroughly, to a fault.  I’m not a hurried New Yorker weaving in and out of crowds to get to my destination.  I trail behind when walking with fast walkers.  I usually like to soak in my surroundings and love to stroll the city streets.  I love to sleep and I eat rrreeeeally slowly.  Maybe I want that extra hour so that I can take my time without feeling bad about it.  I can’t imagine how much more a fast-driven person would desire more time to get things done.  To be more productive and more efficient and more of all that good stuff.

So, with all that said, is Sabbath really a waste of time?  By society’s standards, by man’s standards, by my company’s standards, by my friends, my family, by MY OWN STANDARDS, it absolutely is.  Do you know what I’ve been doing on my Sabbath?  I’ve been watching movies.  I’ve been sitting in silence.  I’ve been reading a book for my enjoyment, for crying out loud (when’s the last time I did that?).  I’ve been napping and sleeping in.  Today I put on some good music and danced like a fool without a care in the world.

During the Sabbath, we are called to  STOP.  REST.  DELIGHT.  CONTEMPLATE.  Tell me one thing in there that is productive or efficient.  Today when we experienced the 25 minutes of silence during service (which I absolutely loved and enjoyed; by the way – Idilio, aren’t you happy you’re on vacay?), it sure felt like a waste of time.  Where was the content?  Where was the message?  Where was the exhortation?  Are you seriously telling me that God will meet us in the sound of sheer silence?   In the inactivity?  In the nothingness?

YES.

The Sabbath is a complete waste of time.  It is also the absolute best use of time.  Because for once, we have a chance to retreat from the spinning world around us and notice the beauty and gift of life.  For once, I relinquish my delusional control over life and circumstances and relationships, and I trust God to take care of it all.  For once, I acknowledge my limits and allow God to be God.

And for that, I welcome this waste of time.