Most Americans feel a constant pressure to work more. There’s always more to do. And the more we get done, the longer the list grows. There’s even a social pressure about it. The go-to conversation starter for meeting new people is “What do you do?” We focus on action— productivity. The American preoccupation with work (no pun intended) comes from our Puritan roots. “Idleness is the devil’s playground” is an old Puritan saying. The assumption is that rest is bad. Rest will lead to evil. But from the beginning it was not so.
Yes, God worked for 6 days. But he rested on the 7th. On the 6th day Adam also worked, naming the animals. Have you ever appreciated how ridiculous the job of naming animals could seem to be? Why is Adam charged with naming them? What does naming signify?
When you name something, you speak authority over it. You define what it is and therefore what it should be. Thus, in speaking the names of all the animals, Adam worked to bring order and purpose to the created world.
But why? To what end? Who will be there to enjoy and delight in that order? Who will care? Adam and God, yes. But there was something missing even after Adam had named the animals: “for Adam no suitable helper was found.” Adam was alone in this great work of bringing order to the created world.
Many scripture scholars conclude that, when Adam slept a deep sleep, he ended the 6th day of work. When he woke up on the 7th day, he met his beloved Eve.
It is only after he meets Eve and sees her very BODY that the work he has done makes sense. In his work, Adam helps bring meaning to nature; in her very presence, Eve brings meaning to Adam. From this, we discover that work finds meaning through experiencing rest. More specifically, she brings meaning to his work in and through a bodily experience of community. We see this same point in the teachings of Jesus.
Modern workaholics might point out that Jesus told us to go and “bear much fruit” (John 15:8). But what is interesting is that right before Jesus says this, he tells his disciples, “If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5). In Greek, this word “abide”(meno) means “to make yourself at home.” ‘Home’ is a physical place of love and community. When we come to rest in Jesus and when we foster a community of love, this makes the work that we do meaningful.
This may be why husbands and fathers tend to live longer and make more money than bachelors. The married man has a greater sense of purpose and meaning. When he rests with his wife and plays with his children, this gives his work profound meaning. His work has a communal dimension to it. Like Adam, he works for someone.
That doesn’t mean that we need to be married to bear fruit. But it does mean that we need community. And we need to rest in that community. In learning to live out the Theology of the Body we must learn to abide in the love of others. Most of all, we need to abide in God’s love. Be at home in it. Rest in it.
So, this upcoming Sunday ask yourself: how are you abiding in His love?
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