“You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day; you must even rest during plowing and harvest times.” Exodus 34:21
Chick Fil A has 51 consecutive years of sales growth. The chicken chain is known for being closed on Sundays, yet last year they reported over 10 billion dollars in revenue. They rank 4th out of a 100 companies for their corporate reputation. It is on track to become the third largest restaurant chain by the end of the year. And it’s only open 6 days a week. They are out ranking their competitors and they are open 52 less days a year. That, my friends, is evidence of their devotion to God. That is His blessing on their efforts. I’m by no means saying they are perfect. Just like no church is perfect, neither is a company. I do believe we find blessings when we are obedient to God’s word.
This particular commandment gets very little discussion. Taking Sunday’s off seems ridiculous in today’s culture. Yet it is one of the top 10. It’s there for a reason. God knows we need rest. An article by Rhett Power titled, “A Day of Rest: 12 Scientific Reasons it Works” highlights a few of them. Rest reduces stress, reduces inflammation around your heart, helps you sleep better, strengthens your immune system and literally adds years to your life. It can even help you love your job! The subtitle of the article is: “Most Major Religions Call for a Day of Rest…Science Agrees.” As usual, the scientists of the world couldn’t take God at face value. That’s ok, His word can handle the scrutiny.
Scientists aren’t the only ones who have a hard time believing God’s word, so do His followers. Did you know there used to be such a thing as Blue Laws? It meant that stores couldn’t be open on Sunday’s, they were designed to keep Sunday’s sacred. In Virginia, where I live, they were in effect until 1988. When I first moved here in the early 90’s some still abided by it. Not anymore, there are very few companies that observe Sunday’s as a Holy day to be set apart. If Chick Fil A is anything to gauge it by, they all should. And so should we. I understand some people aren’t able to take Sunday’s off, or any day at this stage in life. God willing, one day they will. Even if that’s the case, try and find time to rest in some way. It really will benefit you in more than 1 one way, but you’ll never know until you try.
