Why You Should be More Unproductive

My  assumption is that you are hard-working and busy.  You like to get things done.  You feel good when tasks are accomplished.  You take pride in your vocations.  You are rarely accused of being lazy.  

If this is accurate, you need to work on being unproductive.  

The male lion sleeps 18-20 hours a day.  He's unproductive in order to prepare for the intensity of the hunt.  For four hours, he's a force.   One day a week, I model my pace after the lazy lion.  I attempt to be unproductive so that I can be effective the other six days.   

By unproductive, I mean:  

Not "on."
Not producing something.
Not working.
Not planning or thinking about work.  

By unproductive, I mean:

Leisure.
Play.
Naps.
Recreation.
Relaxation.
Going for a walk with no destination.  
Delighting in the fruit of work that's already been accomplished.  ​

Of course, the biblical foundation for this is sabbath.  Built into creation is a rhythm of work and rest.  Six days a week you sweat and work with intensity.  But there is a built-in day when you barely raise a finger.  Jewish sabbath practices are strict in their insistence that one must cease all work. ("Sabbath" means "stop" or "cease.") 

We must have times of cessation.  To be unproductive.  To be a creature, not a creator.  Not to "get things done," but to rest in God who has done all things well.  I am not God.  I am made in his image, not my own self-made image.  Idleness instills in us the realization that God alone is the Creator, Producer, Sustainer, Provider.  

Time to take a nap . . . 

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