How to Finish a Project
On the seventh day, God rested. But what does that mean? He wasn’t exhausted. God didn’t work up a sweat. He could have created every day for millions of years and never repeated himself. Every day another new creation.
Mark Twain is said to have made this wry observation about creation: “Man was made at the end of the week’s work, when God was tired.” That says more about humanity than God. But the part about God isn’t accurate.
Isaiah reminds us: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:28–29 NIV)
God wasn’t tired. He had the same full strength after the days of creation that he had before he began. And has endless reserves of strength and power to give to anyone who needs it.
But he did treat the seventh day uniquely.
I believe God was taking time to savor his creativity and to model for us what our rhythm of work, worship, and restoration should look like. God took in all that he had made . . . and engaged it. He enjoyed it. He stopped doing more, at least momentarily, because he was content and pleased with the magnificence of what he’d done.
Then 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 2:3 NIV)
He blessed it. He made it holy. He paused from creating. And he proclaimed it good. He savored his creation. Those are good practices for us as well.
The next time you finish a project, take a purposeful pause before running to the next idea. Call what you brought to life good. Savor what was created with God. And let your soul rest by releasing all outcomes to the Father.
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