Twice in the past fourteen months my family and I have traveled to Florida by car. (You’re not getting me on a plane with three young
kids—especially my own.) But here’s the best part:
We drove straight through.
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| Ready for some rest after a long road trip |
Now if you’re coming from, say, Alabama that’s not such a
big deal. But we drove from
Norman, Oklahoma—a twenty-hour trip.
We’re talking a full day in the car.
With three kids.
I cannot say I recommend it per se, but it was the right
decision for us: it saved time, saved money on hotel and saved money on food
because we ate meals in the car.
Both times we did it, getting
there was much easier than getting back.
Why?
On the way there we were fueled by excitement. We were
fueled by the promise of a week of fun.
But we also had the promise of rest.
We knew once we got there, we would have a week of
relaxation (as much as a parents with three children can).
On the way back?
Not so much.
We would have to go back to the grind—back to work, back to
responsibility.
Our lives
are kind of like a road trip: exciting at times, grueling at others. But just
like my family's road trips to Florida, we too have the promise of rest once we
reach our destination:
. . . the promise of entering his rest still stands . . .
Hebrews 4:1
But God's
rest is eternal, and there is no return trip.
Our journey on earth, though tough at times, is totally
bearable because we have that promise.
The Fourth Commandment as a Metaphor
So where
does the Fourth Commandment fit in to all of this?
While I do believe that the commandment to honor the Sabbath
is literal, and that it is still relevant (more on that in two weeks), I also
believe that the Fourth Commandment is a metaphor—one that demonstrates the key
to eternal life:
