Play As Favor: Devotional

After six days of work, God rested.

In a way, we could view this as the final, glorious act of creation—God building the practice of rest into the lives of His people.

From the very beginning, He established a pattern of work followed by the opportunity to slow down and enjoy life. It seems like God intends for His people to embrace joy and laughter and play.

It reminds me of a story I found perplexing as a child. In Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder recounts the tale of her great-grandfather and his two older brothers making themselves a sled one winter. Because of some unexpected chores, the construction took them longer than they planned, and the brothers were only just finishing as the sun went down on Saturday night. Because Sabbath started at sundown and no laughing or playing was allowed during the Sabbath, the brothers were forbidden from taking even a single ride.

The next day, they dreamed about their sled all through the long morning church service. They continued to dream as their father read Scripture to them after lunch. Finally, when their father settled in for a nap in the late afternoon, the brothers snuck outside, climbed onto the sled, and raced off down the hill.

Unfortunately for them, halfway through their ride, a pig stepped out of the woods directly into their path. They couldn’t stop and they couldn’t turn, so they ended up with a pig straddling their legs, squealing its head off the rest of the way down the hill. Caught in the act of having fun on the Sabbath, they were punished accordingly. But not until after sunset—because apparently paddling was yet another prohibited activity.

The story leaves me wondering if the father had somehow lost the intent of the Sabbath. Surely God was pleased by how well those three little boys worked together on their project. And according to His pattern, wouldn’t their work have been followed by a time to rest and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I can almost picture God laughing as He watched them ride down the hill with the squealing pig, and later smiling as He listened to them recount the story to their children and grandchildren.