Summertime, and the livin' is easy

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” If you are familiar with the song “Summertime” from George and Ira Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess, you probably just sang those words in your head. Now that school is out for the summer, we have almost three months in which to enjoy the beautiful North Platte Valley summer, when the pace of life is less busy than it is during the school year and the weather is more conducive to relaxing pursuits. Summer is the perfect time to slow down, to enjoy the wonders of God’s creation, and to rest.

In today’s fast-paced world, rest has almost become a dirty word—another “four letter word!” Our society is based on work and production. It seems that we have become obsessed with doing more, acquiring more, and achieving more.

But rest is important. Our bodies, minds, and spirits need rest. Even God rested on the seventh day, after creating the heavens and the earth. God knew that rest also was essential for humans, so God commanded that we, too, must take time to rest. The Fourth Commandment states, in part, “You must remember to keep the Sabbath a special day. You may work six days a week to do your job. But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God…. That is because the Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. In this way the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. He made that a very special day” (Exodus 20: 8-11, Easy-to-Read Version).

In Jewish families, the Sabbath begins Friday evening at sundown. During the day on Friday, members of the family polish the silver flatware and candlesticks, wash the best dishes, and prepare special foods for the Shabbat meal. In the evening, the family gathers around the table and the parents bless the children. The family remembers the words of Deuteronomy 5:15, “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day” (NRSV). Shabbat is a time for prayer, for family, and for rest.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, observing the Sabbath—on whatever day one’s culture and faith tradition observe it—is not always possible. Many people must work on Saturday or Sunday. And those who do not work on their sabbath day often use the day to catch up on shopping and chores that cannot be accomplished during the work week. Many of us are caught in a perpetual cycle of doing, doing, doing.

We need to be reminded that we are human beings, not human doings. The prophet Isaiah said to the people of Israel, ^“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, NRSV).

God’s directions to the Israelites through Isaiah are in stark contrast to our culture’s emphasis on living with gusto. In the 1970s, Schlitz Beer ran TV commercials that used variations of the slogan, “You only go around once in life, so go for all the gusto you can.” However, we can only live with so much “gusto.” Eventually, we will burn out. Our bodies, minds, and souls will cry, “Enough!” We need time to turn to God and to rest. We need quiet time to renew our physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.

When I was a school principal, a friend sent me a door hanger on which was printed, “Taking a Ten Minute Sabbath.” How I needed a short time alone with God during those busy and often very stressful days! Now that I work multiple jobs and serve as a non-stipendiary parish priest, I continue to need a ten minute—or longer—sabbath rest.

When I need to rest and recharge my spiritual and emotional batteries, I often rely on the words of Psalm 46:10, “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (NIV).

I repeat the words of Psalm 46, verse 10, omitting one or two words with each repetition: Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know. Be still. Be.

And then I sit in silence, resting in God’s presence--not doing anything--just being.

This summer, I invite us all to take time to bask in the wonders of God’s creation. I encourage us to spend time with those we love. May we take time to relax and recharge. And especially, I encourage us all to take time to rest in God and to just be. May the easy livin’ of summertime be healing, restoring, and renewing for us all.