"In many ways, God's rest on the seventh day of creation is paralleled by the birthing process and the period after birth, when the labor is finished yet the bonding begins. The mother and father gaze endlessly at their child, who is distinct from the parents because she is no longer merely in the mind and the womb of the mother, but external and separate. She is no longer solely in the imagination or deep in the womb; she is finally released to be held in the arms of the parent. This attachment brings mother and child into a bond that, if secure, will last through thick and thin, heartache and loss, and provide the child with an assurance that all will be well.
"Similarly, God gazes in rapture at his creation and says, 'She is so beautiful.' We do not know what else God did or didn't do on the seventh day, but we can assume that his gaze did not vary or his delight wane as the day progressed. Instead, his infinite delight grew in wonder and joy as he surveyed all he created and declared that it was good.
"No wonder we are so afraid of the Sabbath. It is nearly impossible to believe that God wants us to have a day of wonder, delight, and joy. It is more than unbelievable; it is often a burden to consider the Sabbath as a play day with God and others. As much as we may clamor for joy and freedom, when offered, it is often too painful to receive and to celebrate. In part, the pain is because we know our momentary dance will not last. It is easier to hold on to sorrow than to let go of joy.
"If that is not hard enough, I must observe the Sabbath in the face of the other six days. For six days, I wrestle with a world under the toil of the curse, soiled by the oil of humanities commerce, deeply longing for the bright wings of the coming dawn. And each day, at best, is a repetition of the day before, unless the next day is the Sabbath. It is the queen of all days, the day in which division, destitution, and death are put aside to celebrate our union with God, the abundance of his love, and the wild hope of the coming kingdom. It is a day of holy fiction, a day when the promise of God is fulfilled on a stage where we write the script and take the roles we most want to act for his glory."
