This morning I heard a radio talk show host poking fun at how many golf outings President Obama had taken during his presidency. He quoted a number like 163 golf outings for President Obama vs. 26 for President Bush. Then, he contrasted both recent presidents golf tallies to that of Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson is credited for playing over 1500 golf games during his presidency. The radio announcer was shaming all of these GREAT men for the time they spent golfing. He never looked at the converse that they comitted to take care of themselves.
Because I lived with a golfer for the first 20 years of my life, I know some things. I know that "it never rains on a golf course." I know that "its for the love of the game." I know that "many meaningful conversations and even business deals happen on the golf course." I also know, from walking the courses with my dad, that golf courses are mini sanctuaries. They are quiet spaces that seem like a retreat from the world.
As I continue to explore the idea of REST, I am challenged to redefine it. Rest is vitally important for not just one's body but for their soul. If golf is your "thing" then taking time for rest and recreating should be celebrated. Our Presidents literally have the "weight of the world" on their shoulders. They need more time for rejuvenation. Shaming someone for rest is wrong!
I imagine a culture that celebrates rest. Just as God stopped on the 7th day to enjoy his creation. We are commanded to stop and enjoy what is around us. Who cares how we break up the rest - one whole day, 2 hours a day, one weekend a month of quiet, 9 holes of golf... our different personalities have different needs. Rest doesn't fit in a box. There is more than one way to do it! And remember: Sabbath isn't a choice, it is a command.
"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. The God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Genesis 2:2-3
