June is here and with it comes summer vacations and long weekend breaks. It seems like no matter who I talk to, the sentiment is always the same: it’s never long enough.

We were made for work, to be stewards of creation and use the products of our hard work to sustain ourselves. While the world of work looks much different than that of the bible, the principles around work are largely the same. While we are always to strive to do our best, we are also called to not let work consume us, but rather take a break from it: weekly. Some think of the creation story in Genesis as just a nice story, but it teaches us the basics of how to be human. (Gen 1:1 – 2:3) 

First God separated light from dark, and we are called to imitate Him, in bringing light —the light of truth — to those around us. Water in the bible can be a sign of chaos, and that is especially true in creation, “and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters” (Gen 1:2). On the second day God brought order to this chaos by separating the waters of the sky from that of the sea. We, too, in our daily undertakings are called to bring order and structure. On the third day, God starts to build on what He worked on the previous day by separating the land from the water and bringing forth vegetation. As God brought forth plants from the ground to eventually be harvested, so we are to produce in our work as well. Sometimes that will be a physical product or change, while for others it will be intellectual in nature. 

The second three days of creation mirror the first three, in that they populate what was created in the same order. On day four the luminaries in the sky are defined: sun, moon, and stars. The word used for the purpose of the sun and moon is “govern.” To keep the order created on the first day, we need proper governance. This is true in every aspect of life, not just in work, but also in our life as a whole; we need to follow some sort of rule-based structure (preferably that of God’s direction) otherwise we will not be able to do the work we are called to do. On day five God fills the air with birds and the sea with all that swim in it. God “blessed” the creatures and gave them a purpose to be fruitful and multiply. These are the first to receive such a blessing. (Gen 1:22) While they are not equal to God, they do share in the ability to create by having offspring. One can consider them co-workers with God. We are meant not to work alone, but with others and for others. 

Day six is the big day; the one where animals, and more importantly humans, are created. But to humans, God goes one step further than all of creation. Not only does He make us in His image and likeness, but He also charges them to have “dominion” over all of creation: vegetation, creatures of the sky and sea, as well as all the creatures of the ground both wild and tame. God entrusted all of creation to human beings, not to do whatever we want with it, but to care for it in each generation. Likewise our work life needs to mirror that purpose; not just doing whatever we feel like doing, but to focus on what is the best we can do to keep creation for the next generation. The language used is also key, as dominion connotes sovereignty or royalty. Humans are not slaves to God, but rather part of His royal household and able to bring His order and His rule to our region.

Lastly, there is the seventh day, the one God blesses and makes holy; the day of rest. God didn’t need to rest from His actions, but He knows we need to do so. He gives us the guidance within creation of how we are to work, but also to make sure we take the time to rest. We cannot do our work if we don’t have the proper rest. That’s why taking a vacation or waiting to retire in order to relax will never allow us to reach our full purpose as human beings. In our modern day where everything moves so fast, it’s easy to get caught up in our work and activities seven days a week. But without recharging ourselves by taking time for God and family, our ability to function is a mere shadow of our full potential. 

We all need a break and while vacations are good, we shouldn’t neglect the mini-vacation God calls us to every Sunday. We may need to put away the technology that tempts us to distraction and change our routine. Yet the more we strive to the ideal of rest God calls us to, the more focused we can be in our work, and potentially more efficient so that we can fully unplug, recharge, and rest in God each week.