The "Day Off" is a "Bastard Sabbath"

For most people, a day off is nothing more than a day to rest so that one is more efficient during the rest of the week. Eugene Peterson in his book, Working the Angles, calls this day off a “bastard Sabbath.” It is a twisted misrepresentation of the gift that is the Sabbath. The Sabbath is intended to be more than a pragmatic rest to improve efficiency.
The Sabbath is a gift from God, but we have to accept it. On my Sabbath I want to rest, but more than that, I want to regain my rhythm. As an awkward white guy, I have no musical rhythm and everyone knows it. Still, life has a rhythm to it, even mine. For most of us it is a fast rhythm. On the Sabbath we slow down and our hearts and lives move in rhythm of God’s work in the world. God’s rhythm, in contrast to our culture and the sub-culture of the American church, is not a fast rhythm. Maybe it shouldn’t be described as slow, but it I would say it seems more deliberate. My life doesn’t feel very deliberate most days. It feels rushed and hectic. So I want a day off. I want to rest so that my body has energy to accomplish all the things I ask of it during the week. But I don’t get to have that sort of day off. Instead of resting so that I am more efficient, I need to choose to kill the rhythm of my life and adopt God’s rhythm at least once a week. I don’t know how to do this yet…